Heroes of Tamriel - An Homage to Oblivion
by Anita-Swan66
Summary: I wrote this as a school project. It is based off Oblivion; The Elderscrolls, with some characters from the game, but mostly my own. The chapters switch between characters - telling the story from 5 P.O.Vs. The story line has also changed a bit - bits and pieces are taken from the game. Please read and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- The Breton Prisoner

The wind whistled through the window at the top of the wall in the rear of the cell and chilled the entire room. Sprawled on the floor, in the middle of the room was a girl. Her brunette hair fell over her face and shoulders. Her clothes, loose on her lanky body, were as dirty as her skin was pale. It was as if she had been here long enough to shed both colour and body mass from her already gaunt frame. She moved slightly and licked her cracked lips.  
"Wake up" hissed a voice from the cell across the way. The girl sprang into a crouch before she could even comprehend being too sore to make her muscles move. Her vision swam a little and she was breathless at the magic that moved her. She welcomed the practiced move but had no memory of where it had come from. Staring at her surroundings, she was painfully aware of the grimy sack cloth grey shirt and bile green pants on her body. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she shook her head. That was a mistake, as a fresh wave of nausea washed over her. She didn't know what was worse – the pain in her head, or what currently passed for her clothes. Through gritted teeth, she took a breath, focused and studied her surroundings. Both the walls and floor were made out of light grey stone and there was a wooden table to the left of the window, at the top of the wall, complete with a ceramic jug, cup and a stool to match the table. She raised herself to full height and walked to the table. She gingerly picked up the pitcher. It was empty, except for the dust that it had gathered. She put it back down, leaving dirty finger prints behind.  
"Hey! You!" the forgotten voice said again and she walked carefully up to the gate that separated her from freedom and peered through it. "Yes, you! Pale skin, snotty expression… You're a Breton! The masters of magicka, right?"1 she stared at the man in the opposite room silently. She studied his blue-purple tinted skin and pointed ears. He wore a smug and slightly disgusted expression when looking at her. She lifted her arms and held the bars on the gate. She mentally acknowledged the muscle tone, strong but still feminine. Her arms were lit with an orange hue from the flickering torches in the corner of the hall way outside her cell. "You're nothing but a false magician with an empty hat; I'd love to see you pull one of your disappearing tricks in here? No? Open the gate then with your astounding powers" he said smirking in the dim light. The Breton looked down at her hands. They were strong hands – probably strong enough to crack that fool's neck but were they full of magic as he has said? She took them off the gate and flicked them at the bars. The bars never moved but pain clenched her gut and filled her lungs with fire. Sweat beaded on her brow and trickled down her face.  
"No, no, no" she managed to get out. Her voice cracked and she winced at the pain it caused her to speak.  
"No? What's the matter? Not so powerful now, are you Breton? You're an embarrassment to your kind, and guess what? You're going to die in here… That's right; they'll be sweeping your bones out of here, but only when the rats have finished with you." The stranger spoke up again, this time taunting her with a cynical laugh. Rage seared through her veins. She had just about had enough of this fool, she thought as her fists clenched at her sides. Heat emanated from her hands and the next thing she knew, her hands had combusted and flames were licking her fingers and the edge of the gate. The sensation cleared her mind a little and she smiled in the red light of her fire. The creature's smile dropped slightly from his lips and he instinctively took half a step backwards.

"Nasty little Dark Elf aren't you?" she teased, her voice sounding clearer and more confident.  
"It's _Dunmer_ you uncultured vermin" he growled and she extinguished her fire. Before either one of them could speak again a door slammed shut and the sound of metal feet hitting the floor filled the room. They jumped and the Dunmer smiled. "They're coming for you Breton" he said as he walked backwards to the back of his cell. The girl's breathing grew sharp, but she focused on the sounds outside her cell.  
"My sons? Are they..?" came a voice, he sounded old, maybe middle aged.  
""We don't know Sire. The messenger said they were attacked, but nothing else" the second speaker was female and she spoke with authority, but with respect.  
"No, I can feel it… they're gone" elderly man said, his voice full of sorrow. The Breton listened harder, pressing her ear to the gate, but jumped back suddenly when she caught sight of a man in full body armour. She stared at his helm, grey in colour and made out of iron, with a golden thin piece of metal running from the nose piece over the top to the back. There was a T-shaped gap where his eyes and mouth were visible. There were seven pleats in his breast-plate and arms each decorated with a small rectangle of gold iron. Covering the chainmail he wore on his legs, was a gold pelvic plate. It was attached to the breast-plate with teal strips of iron. His boots where heavy and matched the rest of his armour and they made a clinking sound when he and his fellow guards walked. He held his right hand on the katana, sheathed in his belt.  
"My job right now is to get you to safety"2 the female guard said as she, the guard who arrived first, another male, and the elderly man stood in front of the gate. The female wore a white cape that just touched the back of her heels. The Breton was sure that it was purely decorative – who could fight in a cape that long? "What in the name of the Nine is this prisoner doing in here? This cell is supposed to be off limits"  
"Usual mix up, sorry Captain Renault, there was…" one of the men tried to think of an excuse but before he could he was interrupted.  
"Just get the gate open" the Breton looked up at the one who was called Captain Renault, sizing her up. Renault was a good head taller than she and obviously this man was in her command. Two on one – not bad odds.  
"Get over by that wall" the guard said pointing to the space under the window, "stay out of the way." The girl complied, walked backwards so as to not lose sight of Renault and her guard. The breeze from outside sent ice down her spine and made her shiver. They all entered the room and she got a clear look at the old man. He was wearing a bright purple robe and his hair was silver and well groomed.  
"Kneel, prison scum, you're in the presence of Uriel Septim, Emperor of Tamriel." The guard barked. The girl went to kneel – she didn't recognise the name or title but it didn't hurt to play accommodating. The Emperor raised his hand.  
"Not necessary Baurus; Let me see your face" he said, his eyes bored a hole in the top of her head. The guard bowed his head and stepped back. She raised her head and the Emperor's eyes widened.  
"You… I've seen you… you are the one from my dreams… then the stars were right, this is the day, Gods give me strength"3. The Breton raised her eyebrows at the Emperor.  
' _Would it be disrespectful to suggest that his majesty might have a few screws loose?_ ' she thought looking from the Emperor to Renault and Baurus the guard.  
"Forgive me if this offends you Sire, but which cryptic riddle was I supposed to decode first?" she asked.  
"Sire, there isn't any time. We must keep moving" Captain Renault said and the Emperor nodded.  
"Yes, you are right, now that the Oblivion gate had been opened; we are all in grave danger." The Emperor said solemnly.  
"Sorry, did you just say the Oblivion gate is open? The portal to the Deadlands where Mehrunes Dagon is?" The Breton directed her question at the Captain this time in the hopes of actually getting an answer. She was bone-achingly tired, filthy and would slay all three of them for a cool ale. She steeled her shoulders for the blow that usually accompanied her outspoken nature. "By the Gods, you sit in a jail for who knows how long and the whole world falls apart. Where are we going anyways?" The Emperor was still looking at her. A smiled crinkled at the corner of his mouth, like somehow he thought she had done something cute – now she was really annoyed.  
"The Blades are accompanying me through the passageway in this cell. At the end, there is a shrine of Akatosh where my amulet will create a portal to my last living heir. Once there, we will get to safety" the Emperor explained and indicated to the wall on his left. Captain Renault pushed one of the panels on the wall and the stones fell away revealing a passageway. The walls, though flattened were bare earth and it led into darkness. Renault and the Emperor stepped through as Baurus shut the cell's gate with a loud clang.  
"Come on girly", he said pushing the Breton between the shoulder blades towards the opening. She took a final look at the elf in the cell across the way and with a wink she joined the others in the tunnel.

T he walls were damp and smelt of decaying plants and animal excrement – it was oddly familiar to the girl. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she noticed that the tunnel winded and twisted around corners. As she walked, she kept one hand on the wall, hoping that she wouldn't come across something not dirt. She felt Baurus' breath on the back of her neck, hot and smelling of stale onion. It was beginning to grate on her nerves. Just as she was about to scream with frustration, the tunnel opened up into a huge atrium. Stone pillars held up the roof. A giant stone alter rose from the floor in the centre of the room. An inscription circled the edge.  
"Akatosh…" the girl mumbled and Captain Renault turned to her,  
"How can you read that writing, prisoner?" her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The girl looked around the room, ignoring the Captain. There were five other engravings on the walls.  
"Look" she pointed to each one, "Azura, Hircine, Sanguine, Namira, and… Sheogorath" she turned to the Emperor who was being stared at by the Blades. "What do they mean?"  
"One carving for each Daedric Prince and the one on the alter for the King of the Gods, Akatosh. The prophecy states that…" before the Emperor could finish Baurus had opened a portal in the middle of the room. It swirled and blue light consumed the room.  
"I'll go first to make sure the way is clear." Captain Renault said and she stepped through, drawing her sword. The portal shimmered as her body disrupted it's surface and then became still once she had passed through. The Emperor moved toward the light.  
"Are you sure you want to go next, Sire?" Baurus asked and the Emperor looked back at him.  
"I'm sure, Lieutenant, if there was any problem Captain Renault would have come back and warned us.  
"Wait, your highness, I need to confirm something. You said the Oblivion gate is open, well why hasn't anyone gone in and closed it? The gate stops the foulest of creatures from escaping, if it's open, are they not running rampant through Tamriel?" The girl asked before the Emperor disappeared.  
"My child, it is my destiny or my son's destiny to close the gate, as our blood is the key. It must be us… or….well, it **must** be us" the Emperor winked and with that he walked slowly through the portal leaving only Baurus and the girl.  
"You're next", he said nodding at the portal, "go ahead prisoner." but she didn't move. She didn't know why, but all her senses were tingling and the hairs on her arms were standing on end. She decided to go with her gut – it hadn't failed her yet.  
"Something's wrong" she flicked both her wrists and once again her hands were ablaze. She jumped through the portal. It took seconds to reach the other side and when she did, absolute mayhem was waiting for her. She quickly studied her surroundings, looking at the burning farm houses first and people fighting armoured men. These men, their armour was demonic, black steel running from their foot to naval, leaving a gap going up the sides of the waist, covered by red cloth. The ebony armour ran up the middle of the waist and spread out at the shoulders where it continued to their collarbone. She stared as one man moved towards her, his face covered by the same material as the rest of the armour. It was held in place by a red wrap that covered the top and sides of his head. Paralyzed, she stared into the stranger's eyes. The mask seemed to radiate dark magic. He swung his axe at her and inches from her face it hit a long steel sword.  
"Go!" yelled Baurus who had just come through the portal, he was holding off the stranger. The girl spotted the Emperor lying about a meter away. She started to move over to him. From the corner of her eye she saw the armour ripple and change. She gasped in surprise – enchanted. Who were these guys? Another man ran at her, his armour rippled and for a moment every nerve in her brain screamed freeze. She might have done just that but her natural instincts kicked in and she shook her head. She flicked her wrists at the soldier and fire spewed from her hands. It took hold of the man in front of her and moved to the one fighting Baurus. She sidled passed the men, smelling the stink of burning flesh. She heard one of them call for Dagon to take them to the afterlife. She wished him a swift trip as she reached the Emperor. She bent down, extinguished her hands, and put one of them an inch away from his face.  
" _No breath_ " the girl thought and she looked around for the woman Renault. She was lying face down, sword drawn, in a pool of her own blood. The girl ran over and picked up Captain Renault's katana. She turned to face the armageddon. She swung her sword at oncoming armoured men and ducked the balls of electricity they shot at her. She saw Baurus fighting two of the armoured men and another small-ish man raging his own battle against three. She grunted with respect – she thought Baurus might have succumbed by now. The girl took another look at the other man. His armour did not appear to be enchanted like the others – her eyes widened – an Imperial! His skin darker than hers and hair darker than night, she would have known his kind anywhere. His eyes were pale green. His clothes were meant for peasants, but he fought like a soldier. She rushed over to him and they stood back-to-back.  
"I'll cover you!" she shouted over the pandemonium. She sliced through one of the armoured attackers and as he crumpled, a red cloud covered him. When it dissipated he was left in a crimson, hooded robe. All of a sudden the air sizzled and the armoured warriors disappeared. Exhausted, the girl turned to face the man behind her. His eyes widened and his face lit up.  
"Amara, saviour of Morrowind and destroyer of Amalexia" he knelt on one knee and bowed his head respectfully. Her head began to clear. Her grip on the sword relaxed as she stared at the Imperial.  
"Woah, Woah, you know me?" Amara said and the man lifted his head staring at her with his emerald eyes.  
"Of course! I'm sorry, where are my manners? I am Nicoli Vitellius, son of Rufus. My daughter, Ava, went on the same quest as you. She….she… didn't make it…" Nicoli's eyes filled with sorrow and he bowed his head again.  
"I'm so sorry. Please, get up, I won't ask a man who just fought to protect his home to kneel for me" Amara said as Baurus approached the two.  
"Where is Martin Septim?" he demanded and he looked at Nicoli.  
"By the Gods, you didn't know. He's dead, I'm so sorry." he said bowing his head. He started brushing the dirt on his pants off, "there are more things I need to tell you, but not out here, the eyes of Dagon are everywhere" he began to walk towards a stone building. Amara and Baurus followed the little man with caution. They walked inside to find weapons hanging on the walls and armour sitting beside anvils and furnaces. There was a painting on the wall, above the dining table, of a girl, no younger than Amara standing next to a man. She took a closer look and recognized the man as a much younger Nicoli. "Come, come." Nicoli waved them up a large set of wooden stairs, in the middle of the room. Baurus and Amara followed him up and into an annex that was clearly his living quarters. "The Blade first" Nicoli said and Amara's focus was drawn to an open door to the right. Baurus looked at Amara. She walked back over to the top of the stairs – she didn't like it but it seemed that no-one had followed them. She nodded and Baurus went inside. She waited, never taking her focus off the entrance – no-one else needed to die today.  
"Come" Nicoli gestured through the open door. "Sit, please" Nicoli said nodding to the empty chair. He had left the door open. Baurus sat at the wooden dining table in the living room. Amara stepped through the threshold and stayed where she was. Nicoli pulled out a scroll and unrolled it on the table top. "The Emperor and his son are dead, this was the failsafe, should that have ever happened. It states that five heroes of noble heart can take the place of the Emperor's bloodline in closing the Oblivion gate in the Deadlands." He looked at the scroll and Amara shifted to face the table.  
"What's going on?" she asked  
"Let me read you the prophecy first and then I'll explain everything…" Nicoli took a ragged breath. " _Five heroes lead by one, the time of Deadlands has begun, Madness wins but at a cost, the battle's won all but one is lost. Shadow rises to the cause, Tamriel in Dagon's claws, the wolf howls at fire beneath, a hero battles a circle of grief._ " He folded the paper and looked at Amara.  
"…and this has something to do with me?" she said looking at the piece of paper. She couldn't really see how she was connected to a world so clearly not her own.  
"Yes… w…well I believe that you are the one to lead the heroes. You have to search four plains of Oblivion for the other four heroes who are stuck in quests given to them by a Daedric Prince. You also have one yourself, but that comes later. The Deadlands, as you should know, belong to Mehrunes Dagon and he is coming with his army to take over all of Tamriel. Now, I'm pretty sure _Shadow_ has something to do with maybe Namira, Prince of Nightmares, but I'm not sure." Nicoli explained and Amara sighed.  
" _And here I thought I was done being the pawn of the Princes_ " she thought and Nicoli continued.  
"Unfortunately, I'm not certain what the third line means, _Madness wins but at a cost_ , and the fourth line, well…" he stopped speaking. Amara picked up the paper with the prophesy on it.  
"We're going to win, but one of us is going to die…" the room filled with a feeling of uneasiness.  
"Anyway, the rest is pretty unclear. I'm sure the hero surrounded by grief in self explanatory" Nicoli broke the tension, "Here, take this." He handed Amara a brown backpack. It was old but well oiled. "and a map of Tamriel. The pack is enchanted, but there is a limit to what you can put into it. Now, your weapon?"  
"Hold up", Amara brings her hand up between them in a stop motion. "Questions need answering. Number one, who were those people who killed the Emperor?" Amara pauses as Nicoli sighs, his shoulders dropping slightly.  
"They are called the Mythic Dawn, they are followers of the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. They were sent to kill both the Emperor and his son" he explained walking to the window at the opposite of the room. Amara got up and followed him. She stared out the window at the burning buildings and bodies strewn around in the dirt.  
"My second question is, why me? Haven't I done enough?" she had pulled Nicoli's attention away from the window.  
"You saved us once. What we're facing must be worse than what we think if the 9 Divines have asked for your help once more" he said and they walked away from the window. Amara's noticed a shelf behind the table. Upon it lay a black bow with matching arrows, a steel sword, and an axe. She stepped around the table and picked up the bow. It felt light in her hands. Nicoli smiled and handed her the arrows.  
"Thank you" she said slinging the arrows over her back. It felt more comfortable than she would have liked. Her fingers twitched with familiarity. The bow was her weapon of choice and it had saved her on more than one occasion. She had killed Amalexia for Azura and yet Mehrunes Dagon still prevailed. With a sigh she brought her head up and nodded as if in consent.  
"One more thing child" he said and he moved to open a nearby chest. He picked up a leather aubergine hood.  
"What's that?" Amara looked at the hood.  
"It's enchanted armour. Once put on, it'll hide you from on-lookers and pesky guards." Nicoli explained and he handed Amara the hood.  
" _Enchanted? Like the armour the Mythic Dawn wore?_ " she thought running her hands over it. "Those Mythic Dawn, they had enchanted armour too, right?"  
"Aye, but nothing like this. They were full of dark magic… following that sorry excuse for a Daedric Prince… never in my day…." He trailed off muttering something Amara couldn't hear.  
"Why are you giving it to me?" she raised her eyebrows watching him as he mumbled away.  
"Hmmm? Oh, right, yes, the armour. I was asked to give it to you for your first quest, by those who are willing to help" he said and he walked to the door. "I shall notify one of my maidservants to run a bath for you. Once you are cleaned, there will be a hot meal and cold ale waiting for you." Amara smiled. Just thinking about the food made her stomach cry out.

She sat back down and waited for Nicoli – not that there was anything wrong with waiting, she was so tired from the fight – from all her fights. Would the Gods never let her rest?  
"Come, it's ready" Nicoli came back. Amara stumbled to the furthest room in the house. It was dark with only three candles. The bath was in the middle of the room. The floor was cold as she slipped off her sandals. She nodded her thanks to Nicoli as he handed her a rough cloth to dry herself on. As soon as he left, she removed her prison rags and ran her hand over the surface of the water in the bath. Steam particles hung just above the water telling her it was warm. A warm bath! Amara couldn't help but groan with pleasure as she sank into the tub. Her muscles relaxed as she took the scrubbing brush from the side of the tub. Next to it was a small green bar. Cautiously she sniffed the bar and was surprised to smell mint and flowers. Soap! She chuckled – well, being the saviour had to have some perks!  
Once she was clean, she pulled the hood on over her still wet hair as she walked back into the main room. Nicoli waited for her at a long table. Baurus was already eating – juice of some kind glistened on his chin. As Amara sat at the table, Nicoli placed a plate in front of her. It smelled divine. She gave a brief nod of thanks to Nicoli and began to placate her stomach. The chicken was crispy and the potatoes were salty – she was in culinary heaven. Nicoli waited until she had cleaned most of her plate. He refilled her ale and looked at her. His pale green eyes told her she was done with relaxing.  
"Your mission Amara, is to seek out the shrine of Sanguine. When he appears to you, offer him brandy of the Gods. You'll find I have already packed some in the bag." He said sitting in the chair next to Amara. "If he accepts this offering, he will tell you how to find the first of your lost companions". Amara stared at Nicoli and then at the food. She knew of Sanguine – he was the Daedric Prince she liked the least. He hated mortals and made it his daily fun to torment as many as he could. He wasn't really evil but he was an annoying little sod. She sighed resigned and picked up the mug of ale. She put it to her lips – the coldness of the drink eased past her cracked lips. The moment the drink was gone she looked back at her plate. A small cheese wheel and grapes were all that were left. "Cheese… especially in the form of a wheel… something about it makes me feel more aware, less… what's the word…" she started to say,  
"Hungry?" Baurus finished her sentence, licking his fingers.  
"…Weak" she smiled. She placed a cheese wedge in her mouth in her mouth, feeling its properties restoring her as she rolled it around with her tongue.  
Nicoli picked up his own cup of ale. "There is naught else I can tell you lass", he said raising the cup to his lips. Amara nodded, this was the way of all quests. Information didn't just come neatly wrapped in a calf skin, it was given to her in bits and pieces for her to figure out.

She shoved the last few pieces of cheese and grapes into her mouth – she didn't look very ladylike doing it, but she didn't really care at that point.  
"Thank you Nicoli, for your kindness" she said swallowing the last of her meal, knowing it might a long while to the next one and rising to her feet.  
"I should be the one thanking you, you saved us once and now you'll do it again. I have faith in you" he said rising to take her hand in his.  
" _What if I don't prevail and save everyone?_ " she thought looking at his weathered hands cradling her own. Baurus belched and the moment was gone. Nicoli chuckled, "You must be tired… please sleep here for the night. Begin your quest tomorrow" he offered. Amara hadn't thought about how tired she still was until Nicoli said the words. She stumbled and Baurus caught her. She looked at him with surprise – her captor who was now her ally. She wondered briefly how much she could trust him.  
"Sleep… sleep sounds good." She was led into a small bedroom. The sheets were a pale pink and there was a dagger on the wooden table beside the bed.  
"Ava's room. I didn't want to move anything…" Nicoli's voice was quiet, but his pain darkened his eyes.  
"Thank you, again." Nicoli didn't answer her. It was too painful for him to be in the room. He left without another word. "I'll be just outside the door" Baurus' voice was quiet. Amara lay down on the bed and rested her head on the pillow. Without another thought, she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Amara's Knife in the Dark

 _I was lying flat on my back in a forest, eyes shut tight. I opened them slowly. Colour ripped through the sky, piercing it with pinks, purples and blues. The streaks of colour and stars bursting through looked as if a nebula had replaced the sky. Plants and vines wrapped around tall trees with curved trunks and a mushroom-like umbrella on top. As I got up, the stones I touched seemed to light up. I began to walk the path, stepping lightly on the stones, feeling the breeze around me. The trees above me were different to the ones on the side of the path. These ones looked skeletal, stretching out over my head. They seemed to bend to form an arch-way. I started walking the path, brushing my hand along the trees. At the end of it a man stood with his back turned away from me. He looked no older than I, with dark hair slicked back off his face. As I got closer he turned around to face me. His eyes were cat-like, golden orbs broken by a sliver of black down the middle. A smile crept in the corner of his mouth and his eyes narrowed. He held a wooden cane with a glass eye where the handle should be. His clothes were a deep purple. Yellow swirls wove through the fabric. The swirls seemed to move around the material, shimmering in the light coming through the trees. He held out his hand. I was overcome by an urge to run to him, feel his arms around my frame. He was lithe but honed – a man who could be strong but not a warrior. His eyes held a promise of safety and love, something that I had not had even as a small child. As I went to take it, my surroundings crystallized. Trees melted away and large crystal obelisks took their place. The man's face, no longer wore that confident, slightly sinister smile. His eyes filled with pain. From behind him, a giant figure materialized in the shadows. Its skin matched the formations around us and the helm it wore was more of a silver crown, like what a king would wear into a battle. Its back had four spikes, two behind each shoulder. It looked, as if the monster's skin was crystal too, that his breastplate would have ended just below his ribcage, leaving his stomach bare if they hadn't been the same material. The grieves started at its waist and covered the legs and feet. The beast drew his sword and the sound ripped across the forest, metal on metal. I cringed and covered my ears. I tried to yell at the strange man to run, but found my voice was gone. He turned to face the monster. From where I stood, all I could see next was the tip of the sword coming through the man's back. Blood dripped from the end and pooled on the ground. It tossed the man aside and lifted the sword into the air right above my head…_

Amara woke up gasping for air, her heart beating a hole in her chest. She sat up in her bed, clutching the blankets. The blankets were soaked from her sweat. She wiped her forehead and rubbed her eyes. She looked over to the table beside the bed. The candle had extinguished, leaving only a wisp of smoke. Nightmares, great- that's all she needed. She kicked the covers off and swung her legs to the side of the bed. She planted her feet on the cold wooden floor and made a move to stand up. Her head spun and she fell back down on the bed.  
" _Dizzy spells, incomprehensible dreams… what next, midnight attack?_ " she thought, when suddenly she heard a voice come from downstairs.  
"Where is the body of Martin Septim?" the demonic voice hissed. Amara jumped out of bed. She quickly walked to the other side of the room, cursing herself for leaving her weapons so far away. She made sure she didn't step on any loose floor boards.  
" _You've got to be kidding…"_ she sighed, still listening in.  
"I would die before I give up his whereabouts. No Mythic Dawn will get their hands on the boy. Not after what you've already done to him." she heard Nicoli say in a confident voice. He wasn't scared of dying- he had nothing of his family left. She picked up her bow and slung the arrows over her shoulder. She crouched and stealth-walked to the door. She turned the handle careful not to make a sound, still listening to the assassins.  
"That can be arranged little man" she was at the top of the stairs. She spotted Nicoli standing in front of a man – the leader, she recognised by the patterns on his helmet. Amara raise her arm, but before she could nock the first arrow, he grabbed Nicoli by the neck. She was temporarily blinded by a flash of red light coming from his hand. The Dawn threw Nicoli to the floor where he lay unmoving. She fired the arrow at the Dawn. It landed in the middle of his chest and he fell to the floor. It was then she realised he wasn't alone. Two more Dawn soldiers charged to their fallen leader and looked up at her, their faces painted with rage. Without so much as a look at each other, they stood together.  
"For Lord Dagon!" They charged at her, weapons drawn. She fired three more arrows at the oncoming enemies and they fell face first on the steps. She wasted no time, running down the stairs, ripping the arrows from their bodies as she passed- no use in wasting perfectly good weapons.  
"Nicoli!" she ran to the body of the man who had given his life for the Emperor's son. She threw her bow and arrows to the side. She bent over and touched his neck where he had been injured. The skin was burnt off and sticky. Amara held her hand over his neck. "I can help… I can do this" she whispered, her hands shaking, covered in hot blood from the wound. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her hands began to glow blue. Nothing happened. " _Nooo", she silently screamed and pushed more of herself in to the blue heat._ Nicoli's chest rose once and then he gasped and it rose and fell with his shallow breaths. "Nicoli!" She sat back, ignoring the tears that traced her cheeks and fell onto his shirt. Nicoli's eyes fluttered open and he groaned with the effort.

"You have to leave. Your magic is not yet powerful enough…" he whispered. Amara looked at her hands, which were still covered in Nicoli's blood. She wiped them on a nearby cloth that had fallen on the floor during the struggle. She couldn't leave now, they might come back.  
"What about you? And Baurus?" she asked, suddenly remembering the Blade.  
"Baurus left… shortly after you went to sleep… and me? Well child… I'm not…" he coughed and spat blood out onto the floor next to him, "…I'm not going to survive the night…" he shivered as he took another breath. She put her arms under Nicoli and stood up, holding him. She stumbled up the stairs she had just come down. Nicoli only coughed and shook- she wouldn't leave him down there, especially not with those demons. She half carried Nicoli to his room. It was dark and there was a small bed in the middle of the room. Amara carefully lay him down on the bed. "There is no more you can do for me, hero. Go, before they send more men" Nicoli closed his eyes and Amara bowed her head- there was no use in arguing with a dying man. She turned and walked slowly to the door.  
"Thank you Nicoli" she shut the door behind her.  
"Shadow hide you, Amara" he gasped before his chest moved no more. She walked down the stairs, not looking at the bodies. She stepped over them without a second glance. She picked up her bow from the floor near the door. She grabbed the backpack from the cupboard next to the door. Amara took one last look of the house and opened the door.  
"Sanguine… here we come…" she said not looking back. She walked through the door and closed her eyes, letting herself take a breath in the cool air.

She walked, leaving the house behind her, through the small town.  
" _Sanguine's Shrine, if I remember correctly should be directly east of Mythryl, which means I have to go… hold up. Where exactly am I?_ " she stopped in the middle of the stone path. There was barely anyone walking around, especially now that Mystic Dawn had showed their presence. No one knew about Nicoli except Amara- and that's the way she wanted to keep it. If she told someone, they would suspect her of being a part of the attack- who wouldn't though? A strange person comes into the town at the same time as the assassins, and the man she stays with ends up dead the next day? She looked around only spotting an old wooden sign at the end of the path. As she walked towards it, the path split off two ways. There were arrows pointing down the paths, including the one she had just walked up. She read each one, starting with the arrow pointing down the road she was currently on. "Chorrol, so that's what that smell was." She smiled at her own joke and continued to read. "The path to the right, will take me to… Hammerfell, home of the Orcs, if I remember correctly, his majesty wants my head. Better not tempt fate. To the left, ah yes, Mythryl." Amara went to start walking, but as she did, she felt heat rush to her hands. It reminded her of the warm, powerful feeling she got when she used magic. She focused on picturing the main gate of Mythryl. She hadn't fast-travelled in what felt like forever- but she was sure it was like riding a horse; you never truly forget… she hoped. Amara closed her eyes. She took a sharp breath in and opened them. She saw herself moving through the forests, only to stop at a wooden gate. With a flash of white light she was standing just outside a small city where Sanguine's shrine was located.  
"Yep, still got it" she smiled. Suddenly she felt a burning hot feeling on her shoulder. She turned her head to the pain. Her shoulder was smoking. "What the..?" she spun around. Three deformed men carrying weapons made of bone were shuffling towards her. Rotting skin dripped off their bodies and onto the ground. No doubt this was the first of many 'gifts' from the now open Oblivion Gate. "Oh, hell no" she drew her bow, completely forgetting about her sizzling shoulder. She nocked an arrow. Before firing it, she lit the tip on fire. She fired and one of the monsters screamed. It fell to the floor, and as it did, it exploded into thousands of bugs. Amara shot a continuous blast of fire out of her hand, setting the bugs ablaze. She shot the other two twisted figures. They both fell to the ground, but this time exploded into a green gas. Amara coughed as she inhaled the gas. She fell to her knees, gripping her throat. A white light burst out of her hand. Her throat began to clear of the poisonous gas and her shoulder had healed. She scrambled off the ground before any more creatures turned up. She pushed open the gates.  
"Evening citizen" she was warmly greeted by two guards. The tone in their voice indicated welcome but it did not reach their eyes and she knew it was just their job and paid it no mind.

"Evening gentlemen, would you mind telling me where the Shrine of Sanguine is? I'm afraid I get lost very easily" she said to the guard on her right, flashing him a harmless smile. His dull-brown eyes narrowed and he gave her a look of irritation. He obviously didn't buy her defenceless little girl act.  
"Down the main path and to the right" he said through gritted teeth. Amara smirked- for a moment she felt like making the sentry's day even harder for him, but she remembered where she needed to be. She walked down the path, picking up her pace as she approached the end. She headed down the path on the right, as the guard instructed her. She walked carefully down the quiet street, moving her eyes but not her head to look for potential dangers without betraying herself.

A statue stood at the very end of the street. It was as tall as the neighbouring houses, with horns protruding from its head. At the bottom of the statue, there were three red handprints. Amara pulled off her backpack and rifled through it to find the brandy. She pulled it out and opened the top. She gagged at the smell- nothing like vile smelling brandy to clear the senses. She poured some over the bottom of Sanguine's shoes. Amara stood, staring blankly at the statue. It began to move, slowly at first, but then the figure that was once frozen there was stretching his arms. He groaned and licked his lips. He looked down and scowled.  
"Tiny mortal, why have you awakened me?" his voice was ghost-like and muffled, like he had a mask on. As he came to life, features on his face became more distinct. His grey face with painted in the red of war.

"I come to seek assistance" she said kneeling.  
"What is it that you require?" Sanguine asked, staring down at the tiny figure that was Amara. She stood again.  
"I have been told that I am to recruit a hero in your land." She brushed the dirt off her knees. He watched her with a blank face.  
"You wish entrance into Mythryl?" his voice boomed. Amara took a step back. Sanguine jumped off his stone platform. She reached for her bow- although she had no idea what she would do if he attacked. How do you even kill a Daedric Prince? He grinned and stopped moving. He let out a throaty laugh. Amara was startled - it was a good laugh but how did that sound even come from a stone throat? He sat on his display place and swung his legs like a child.  
"Lord Sanguine?" she asked once he stopped laughing.  
"You're quite a pretty mortal aren't you? You know, I'm one of the better looking Daedric Princes" he raised one of his eyebrows. A feeling of disgust washed over Amara. She gagged subtly, but managed to bring herself back.  
"Lord Sanguine" she said slowly with a sigh, "is there anything you wish to tell me about the quest I am being sent on?"

"Whose blood is on your hands?" he asked. There was no hint of threat in his voice – he was merely curious. "A friend", Amara looked him in the eye, stubbornly not looking at her hands. "And those that hurt your friend?" again Sanguine expressed only curiosity. Amara squared her shoulders, "Dead". Sanguine chuckled again, this time it was not so friendly.  
"You have to guess" his grin widened as he settled in his seated position, like he had all the time in the world. Amara's eyes narrowed- she had no patience for this Daedric Prince and yet she knew that she must be polite or else he would not help her. "Lord Sanguine, I beg of you, help me on my way. Time is of the essence".

"Tiny impatient female, you are no fun" he opened up a portal next to him with the barest of flickers from his fingers. She approached it, dodging the still swinging legs of Sanguine.  
"Well, if you were doing extra quests for the amusement of Daedric Princes, when you already were expected to save the world, you'd be pretty pissed off too" she reached the portal.  
"Mortals… always are rushing to their doom. No time for fun." he grumbled as he stood up. "You should, you know, have a little fun; your lives are so very fleeting". Amara bent low at the waist in a sweeping bow,  
"We are but for a moment and yet it is ours that burns the brightest" and with that she was gone.

The portal jump took only seconds, before Amara knew it; she was standing in a brightly lit room. She looked around. There were no lights or windows, but somehow the room was brighter than a sunny day in Morrowind.  
"Good evening" came a voice from the middle of the room. Amara turned to face the speaker. A figure dressed in a black hooded robe was seated at a small stone table.  
"Who are you?" she said cautiously. She, once again, reached for her bow.  
"No need for violence child, at least not yet. I'm Lucien Lachance, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. I have been waiting for you" he said, his red eyes staring straight into Amara's.  
"You knew I was coming?" she asked, she raised her bow, arrow nocked and fingers straining.  
"I was advised to meet you here. We all know his grace Prince Sanguine can get a bit… off topic. Cheese?" He smiled, but it wasn't warm or welcoming. _Was this guy crazy too - cheese_? She focused on his face again, her muscles beginning to twitch from the pressure on the string. She was going to have to release or back down. He smiled again and it sent shivers down Amara's spine – she wished he wouldn't keep doing that – it was just creepy. "I'm here to fill the gaps. Sit. Please." Amara breathed out carefully and lowered her weapon and let the arrow fall into her waiting hand. She walked carefully to the chair opposite Lucien. She sat, keeping her eyes on him the whole time.  
"Go ahead," She nodded at him.  
"You have been told, I assume, you are here to rescue a hero to help with the Mehrunes Dagon issue. Yes, well, it isn't as simple as that. To get him you must complete a quest for the Dark Brotherhood and then his location will be given to you. When you find him, you must help him complete his own failed quest. Then, child, you are free to take him wherever you please." He explained. Amara sat thinking.  
"You mentioned 'The Dark Brotherhood'…" she started, folding her legs under the table.  
"…A highly respected order… by some. Our relationship with officers of the law is less than satisfactory. You see, our syndicate prides itself on ridding the world of lowlife scum." The emotion on Lucien's face hadn't changed throughout the entire time he spoke. He sat completely still.  
"You…kill people?" she asked, sitting forward, raising her eyebrows.  
"Hahaha… you make it seem so unsophisticated. We simply remove people who have no business being here. Contracts are given the Listener, me, by people who are willing to pay, and I give them to members of our society. We aren't evil, child, not at all. Nor do we believe we are above beggars on the street. We simply do the bidding of others in the name of our lord, Sanguine." He made his first movement, which startled Amara. She stood up, drawing her bow once again, knocking the chair over. She aimed between his eyes. He ignored her hostile gesture and pulled a piece of paper from under the table. He stared at her until she put her weapon away and sat down. Her heart was beating hard against her chest. "Your quest, Amara, is to find the five people in the house at the end of the street and kill them without anyone finding out you are the cause."  
"So, I'm going into a random house and murdering five people. Why?" she asked relaxing back into her seat- there wasn't any reason she needed to be on her guard anymore.  
"It is in the contract. We don't ask questions. There will be, however, a reward when the task is finished." Lucien slid a piece of paper over on the table. Amara leant forward and picked it up. She studied the paper. Written in cursive was, _Reward: 500 gold pieces_. With trepidation, she brought the paper to her nose – was that a hint of flowers? "Scented AND cursive writing?" she asked with a smirk, "did Sanguine give this to you himself?" She put the paper on the table and looked back to Lucien. He looked mildly embarrassed but was not swayed from his task. "I think you'll find what we offer is more than suitable."

Amara was not one to be constrained by a sound moral conscience. She could complete the task and sleep just fine. "When do we start?" she smiled, her teeth showing. Lucien smiled, and as he did, he and the room faded into the shadows. Amara was left standing in a brightly lit street. This one was markedly different from the one which held Sanguine's Shrine. " _What the..._ " she thought as she looked around. The houses, roads, even plants and people were glowing, as if they were emitting their own light. She blinked hard, blinded momentarily. She gingerly made her way down the path she was on, squinting at everything. Her footsteps reverberated as if she was walking on hollow wood instead of cobblestone. She reached the end of the set of houses and stopped. " _The last house on the street._ "

She walked up the steps to the front door. It was a double door, each equipped with a brass knocker in the shape of Sanguine's face. " _Subtle_ " she thought as she reached for the doorknob. She turned it and walked through the door. It was darker inside-she wondered if that was for her benefit but somehow she didn't think that Sanguine really cared about her comfort level. She was approached by a middle-aged woman with a bright green shirt on.  
"Hello child" she said in a high pitched voice, "So you're the one we've been waiting for. Now you're here, I guess we can begin the hunt. I'm Matilde, sorry, I never asked, what's your name child? Where are you from?" Amara had obviously been mistaken for someone they expected but didn't know – she went with it anyway.  
"No, problem. I am sorry I am late. I'm Amara" she said looking around- she didn't sound very convincing. It was a large house, with three steps going down on either side of her. Each way lead into carpeted rooms. One of the rooms held two people and in the other, Amara could only see one. Directly in front of her, another set of stairs led to a higher level- she knew the final target must be upstairs. Amara quickly took stock and smiled at Matilde.  
"I'll tell you what, if I find the gold first, we can split it." She smiled warmly, although something about the tone of her voice told Amara that this woman would push her in front of a stampede of horses if she found the gold first.  
"That is so generous of you. So, what can you tell me about the other people in the house? Who should I look out for?" she asked hoping that Matilde was in a chatty mood- she wanted to get as much information about these people as possible.  
"Well, if you ask me, which you are, hahaha, Dovesi, the Dunmer over there is untrustworthy" said giggled waving her hand at the room on the right. She continued without taking a breath. "There's just something about her and Nels, the drunk standing there beside the empty mugs. He is just here so he can buy more women and ale." She paused only to take a quick breath. "The others, I'm afraid I have not spoken to yet, you might want to speak with them yourself" Amara looked around. No one there looked like anyone special- but looks can be deceiving. he didn't know where to start. She approached Dovesi.  
"New arrival, are you?" she said before Amara could speak, "I'm Dovesi, dark elf, no doubt Matilde has already spread some new disgusting rumour about me." She couldn't help feel something for this woman. There could only be one reason for the one named Matilde to dislike the Dunmer- her race.  
"I'm Amara; I've learnt from first hand experiences that one should not always believe what they hear" Dovesi smiled warmly. Amara never had the patience for small talk. She cut to the chase. "So, what can you tell me about the other people in the house?"  
"Well, I know we're all here because of a competition, but don't you think Primo Antonius is just dreamy?" Dovesi swooned. Amara looked around. She knew the names of the two women and one of the men. There were two other people she had no idea who they were.  
"Sorry, which one is Primo? I haven't learnt everyone's names yet" she asked, looking between the two unknown men.  
"The Imperial over there" she pointed over to the well dressed man with brown curly hair. He wasn't overly attractive, but he did look wealthy- which was strange that he was looking for treasure with commoners.  
"Right… he is, um, quite something" she tried to say politely, "anyone else that I should be informed about?"  
"Well, you already met Matilde the sneaky wench, Nels is a genuinely nice guy, troubled, but nice, but Neville, the soldier, he's an old imperial guard." Amara had enough of pointless chatter. She nodded politely and walked off. She found herself at the bottom of the stairs, looking up. The guests had wandered off by now. She pulled herself up the steps, making no sound as her feet touched the wood. She heard someone breathing behind her. She spun around only to see Lucien in his black robes.  
"What the..?" she started and he reached up and covered her mouth with his gloved hand.  
"Shhh… you must hurry up. There is little time for you sit and talk to everyone" he whispered. He took his hand off her face. Before she could say anything in return he faded into the shadows- she hoped he didn't show up again in the middle of something important. She sighed. Frustrated, she continued up the steps. She reached the top and stepped into a wave of stale ale.  
" _Nels…_ " she thought. She crouched and studied her surroundings. Nels was standing in the corner, drink in his hand. She slung her bow off her back. She pulled an arrow out of her quiver and aimed at the drunk. She breathed out. She fired. The body of the alcoholic fell lifelessly to the ground.  
"One down" she stood up. She put her bow away and walked over to the body. She was careful not to touch him or walk where he was bleeding out. She heard someone come up the steps. She quickly ran behind the wall and waited on the second set of steps- she couldn't be sure it was Lucien again and she wouldn't take the chance. She heard Dovesi scream. Amara realized only then, the she was the only one with a bow and arrows. She panicked, but quickly calmed when she remembered her back pack. She took it off and shoved the bow and her arrow into it. She ran back to where she had killed Nels. Dovesi was standing over the body.  
"By the Gods, who would have done such a thing?" Amara said.  
"Stay back child, you don't need to see this" the dark elf tried to move her away.  
"We should tell everyone else" Amara whispered. Dovesi nodded and wiped away her tears. They walked down the stairs together. " _This is a waste of time, but I can't just disappear after what happened_ " she thought as she was practically dragged down stairs. Although the group had separated, Dovesi's scream had brought them all down together.  
"Nels has been murdered!" Dovesi cried out and only Primo gasped. The rest of them stood blank faced.  
"We should get out of here! The murderer could come back; they're probably getting in through a window upstairs." Primo reached for the door handle. He tried to turn it but it would move.  
"Locked" Dovesi nodded with some something like resignation and she started to cry, quietly this time. The rest of the treasure hunters rolled their eyes and wandered off again. Amara kept track of where everyone went. Matilde went down the steps to the right, Neville, the soldier, went up stairs, but Primo and Dovesi stayed where they were. Amara approached Primo.  
"How tragic; someone innocent being murdered right under our noses, I do hope Dovesi will be ok, seeing something like that is just awful" he said not breaking his attention away from the Dunmer.  
"I think she'll be fine" Amara noticed he wasn't listening to a word she was saying. She nodded and began to walk away. She suddenly saw Lucien standing in the corner. She mouthed 'Go Away' at him and he disappeared again. She walked over to Matilde who gave Amara a fake smile.  
"Hello dear." Amara smiled back.  
"What do you think happened to Nels?" she looked back to Primo and Dovesi. They were comforting each other near the door.  
"I don't care really, as long as they come back for the Dunmer; I've got nothing against them." Amara raised her eyebrows- she didn't like what Matilde was saying. She shouldn't have cared about who hated who, but all she could think of was the prisoner across the way back in the jail she had woken up in. The one who had judged her on how she looked- yes, Matilde would suffer. She walked away from Matilde, not responding to her comment about Dovesi.  
" _Neville, the soldier, she said she likes him. I guess he's my next target then_ " she thought as she made her way upstairs. Neville had gone to his room on the top floor. Amara crouched as she walked up the stairs. She made little to no sound. She went past the floor where Nels had died and continued going up.

She paused at the top of the stairs. As she walked through, she found herself in a hallway with six closed doors. She sidled up to each one and opened them just enough so she could see inside. The third door she tried was Neville's. He lay on the bed, chest moving slowly as he took each breath, not knowing that each one he took could be his last. Amara walked slowly to the side of the bed, where Neville's dagger was sitting on the table beside it- killing a man with his own weapon was too delicious to pass up. She picked up the blade and drove it through the soldier's heart. He jolted as it pierced him but he never even opened his eyes. She wiped the dagger on his clothes and put it in her backpack. Amara didn't wait around- she had other people to kill. She stood up and walked down to the second floor. No one had moved Nels' body. She sat on the chair next to his body and watched the stairs. Matilde walked up, oblivious to the fact that Amara was watching her every move. She followed without another thought. She took her knife out of her bag again. She didn't bother crouching. Matilde had reached the body of Neville, but before she could scream, Amara reached around and covered her mouth.  
"For the Brotherhood" she whispered into Matilde's ear. As she did, she ran the blade over her neck, letting blood surge from the open wound. Amara let the woman fall to the floor. She walked away, leaving her victim to choke on her own blood.  
"Satisfying?" came a voice from the darkness. Amara rolled her eyes. She continued down the stairs- after all, there was no time to lose.  
" _Three down, two to go_ " she thought tucking the knife away. She drew her bow once more.  
"Being confident doesn't mean you always win" Lucien said, again appearing in only the shadows of the house. Amara quickened her pace down the stairs. She reached the bottom floor. She saw the two surviving house members. She fired two arrows. The first one killed Primo, but the second froze in mid air. Amara's eyes lit up with surprise. Dovesi held her hand out in front of her. She was stopping the arrow from moving.  
"Did you really think you could fool me?" Dovesi sneered, eyes blackening, "I saw straight through you the moment you stepped through those doors." She began to approach Amara. Was this a test?  
"Are you sure that wasn't the armour? You know I've been told I'm supposed to be hard to see in this, but…" Amara was interrupted by fireballs being thrown at her. She threw herself at the ground trying to dodge the flames. She didn't dare look up. The air she breathed in was thick. It burnt her lungs as she inhaled. She coughed, but as soon as the fire was gone she jumped up. Dovesi threw her against the wall. Her breath seemed to escape her on impact. Amara slid down the wall, clawing at her chest. She looked around quickly. Lucien had disappeared. Dovesi grabbed Amara by the throat. Her hand lit up with black fire. Her insides seemed to boil and churn, leaving the urge to throw up. The pain cleared her head, but only enough to remember her dagger tucked away in her armour. She reached in and pulled it out. Dovesi seemed to take no notice- it made her think of what Lucien had said, ' _Being confident doesn't mean you always win_ '. She drove the dagger into the dark elves gut. Dovesi stumbled back clutching the knife. Amara raised her hand.  
" _Geth lyr ayem cess ekem_ " she yelled and blue ice shards flew out of her hand, impaling Dovesi. She didn't get time to marvel at her final kill before she fell to the floor. Her vision blurred and she blacked out.

Waking up, for the second time, in a different place from where she lost consciousness wasn't the easiest thing. Amara was sitting against a cold wall. She opened her eyes slowly, welcoming the darkness.  
"Welcome back" came a voice she knew all too well.  
"Lucien…" she pushed herself up. She stumbled over to the table Lucien was sitting at. They seemed to be back in the room she started off in. "So _good_ to see you." He looked unimpressed, watching her sit down.  
"You have completed your contract I see" he pushed over a coin purse and a sheet of paper. Amara didn't move. She just stared at Lucien.  
"You checked up on me after every kill, but when the dark elf tried to kill me, you were nowhere in sight." She was angry now- not that she wasn't before, but it definitely showed as she spoke again.  
"Exactly, I was nowhere _in sight_. I was waiting, watching. If you had failed and not come to your senses I would have intervened, but you did. I added a bonus two hundred coins because of what I saw you do." He explained as a small smile crept onto his face.  
"What I did?" she said as she reached over and picked up the bag of money.  
"The spell you cast. Something even a master of destruction couldn't do. I suppose it's in your blood, Breton..." he got out of his chair and removed his hood. He had a scar running from his right eye-brow, across his nose, and down to his left cheek. His eyes were crimson and hair just above his shoulders, black, but greying. He had a shadow of a goatee the same colour as his hair. "If you would follow me." Amara just stared, open mouthed at the man. She thought that he had left the hood up because of some deformity. She was wrong. He was handsome, in a surprising, rugged way, like he had been in his fair share of fights. He raised his eyebrow and she nodded, bringing herself back to the conversation. She picked up the piece of paper quickly and followed him in to the next room. She didn't notice the door to the strange room the first time she was there; perhaps she hadn't looked hard enough. The room was small and colder than the snow in winter. Their breath froze in the air as they stopped in the middle of the room. A frozen man stood, sword out, in the back, against the wall. He looked as if he was attacking the air. Amara went to touch him, but Lucien held out his hand to stop her.  
"Not yet. You must read the paper, gain Sanguine's blessing, and then you can wake him" Amara looked at the paper. Slipping the gold purse into her bag, she read the paper. "You do know how to read the Daedric writing? If not, I'm just guessing, but it might be a little bit hard for you to free him."  
"I know the language" she studied the paper. It was one of the names she had read in the atrium with the Emperor- Sanguine. " _Seht Ayem Neht Geth Yoodt Iya Neht Ekem_ " The ground in front of them seemed to glow a bright pink- who knew the Lord of mischief liked pink? The man in front of Amara began to move. The ice that surrounded him was melting. She and Lucien stepped back, watching the man begin to move. He had the common purple tinge to his skin that all Dunmers had. His eyes were bright blue and innocent looking- strange for someone who was working for murderers. He looked brutish. Someone that Amara would have bet on in an Arena match- even if his opponent was an Orc, one of the toughest species that were found in Tamriel. The stranger's sword came down. It hit the floor smashing smaller bits of ice.  
"Meet Zylien" Lucien smirked.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Zylien Puts the Fun In Funeral

Everything started to focus as the ice surrounding the boy melted. His limbs, now free were able to swing his sword down, completing the last motion he had started before he froze. His breathing was heavy. He stared at the two people in front of him. He already knew one of them, Lucien- that bastard.  
"You!" he growled and raised his sword again.  
"Woah, slow down there" a girl with beautiful grey eyes and long dark brown hair stepped between him and Lucien. "Zylien? I'm Amara." She held out her hand. He didn't take it- whoever this girl was; she was standing between him and the man who had frozen him. He tried to push past her, not using his full strength. He didn't think he needed to. This girl was smaller than him and no weapons were drawn. That was his first mistake of the day. As he shoved her she grabbed his wrist and twisted it back on itself. He let out a cry of pain.  
"Try me Dunmer" she said holding him in place. She wasn't even straining.

He didn't squirm.  
"Alright, alright, p-please let me go" he whimpered. She did and as he looked up, he saw Lucien's smiling face. The way his eyes stared straight through Zylien made him feel diminutive. It made him angry too, but he knew, standing next to Amara, he was going to be overpowered if he tried anything.  
"Now, how about we start again?" Amara addressed Zylien. He had to look down to look into her eyes. His mother always told him it was polite to look someone in the eye when they were speaking. "Lucien, if you wouldn't mind waiting in the other room…" she looked back.  
"You may need protection, are you sure you're comfortable being alone with him" he still held that same sinister smile. Zylien was paying attention to what was being said, but he thought he heard Amara say,  
"Don't get cute, especially when you've done something wrong" and his reply was no better than what he said first,  
"I guess I couldn't help it, just in my nature." At those words Zylien watched her face scrunch up. She turned back to him.  
"Start talking Dunmer" she said. He really hated when people called him Dunmer. It was his race not his name.  
"I h-have a name" he tried to sound brave, but no matter how pissed off he was at Lucien he could not bring himself to make it through an entire conversation without stuttering. That pissed him off more.  
"Right, forgive me. Zylien isn't it?" she said blank faced. She didn't look him in the eyes when she spoke. Instead she studied his face, like she was from another planet and he was a strange species.  
"Y-yes, um, Zylien from Tamriel." He stuttered. Suddenly, her eyes began to sparkle and her face lit up slightly.  
"Tamriel?" she asked, containing her excitement.  
"B-born and raised… just came here for, um…" he studied her face. "The money", he watched a smile creep onto her face.  
"You don't seem like a killer, Zylien" she said. Her gaze was softer now. He could finally relax. He glanced at the ground and then to his left.  
"I'm not, n-no, absolutely not" he was still stuttering, but the rest of him was at ease.  
"We all have something that we don't like talking about, but right now, Zylien, I don't trust you enough for you to keep secrets" Amara was always ready to fight. He watched the way she stood, the way she faced him. Her hand was resting by her dagger, which was strapped to her right side. He was taller than her and built larger than her, but he knew she could take him down as easily as he could swing a sword.  
"I grew up with my dad and my brother. W-we worked as smiths and u-u-used to practice with the swords we made" he looked down at his sword handle. He lifted the sword so it lay in his hands. He watched Amara's grey eyes focus on the hilt.  
"What does it say?" she had noticed the words. Gods, he had hoped she wouldn't asked, but no, nothing ever did go his way did it.  
"Lyle, m-my brother's name. It's s-sort of a failed p-promise. I told him I wouldn't leave him and I d-d-did" he was on the verge of tears now. Great, just what he needed; to show Amara he was just another weakling who couldn't survive on their own for a day. He choked back tears. He stared into her piercing grey eyes. They were empty, unresponsive, and distant.  
"Continue" was all she said. He took a deep breath and let it out. It was nice to know she didn't scowl or roll her eyes at him.  
"My father wasn't the most stable m-man. He liked his mead. He would always yell at us, b-b-but one night he turned on L-Lyle. I couldn't just stand there. I had to l-l-look out for him" he explained. He took a shaky breath and was prepared to continue; until Amara cut in.  
"You killed him" her eyes dropped to the floor momentarily, but came back up almost immediately. He wondered how she came to the conclusion he killed his father. Of course, the only way into the Dark Brotherhood was to kill someone. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Who had she killed to get to him? He didn't want to ask, but something told him that if he didn't, he would regret it.  
"I had to; he came at Lyle w-with a knife. I-it was an accident. Lucien…" he scowled at the man in the shadows in the next room, "… offered me m-money to join the b-b-Brotherhood, I had to help my family, but it meant leaving my b-brother." Amara's expression didn't change. Did she not understand what he had to give up?  
"I know what you want to ask Zylien, spit it out" she said as if she had read his mind. He knew if he tried to pretend he had no idea what she was saying, she would see right through it.  
"H-how did you get in?" he managed to get out. Her face softened. He watched as, for the first time in the conversation, she shifted her feet and looked genuinely uncomfortable.  
"I was asked to do a quest for Azura" was all she said. Zylien may not understand everything, but he wasn't an idiot.  
"Y-you said n-no lies" he tried to stand straighter and put confidence into his words but it just didn't work with his stutter.  
"I didn't lie. I merely left out details." Zylien didn't push it. He understood why she had pressed him for answers. It was her quest and she needed to make sure she could trust him. He was a gentleman. His mother had always told him that it wasn't polite to ask someone something if they obviously didn't want to talk. He had killed his father is self-defence, but somehow he got the feeling that Amara wasn't the type to be rattled over something like that.  
"Y-you said you were o-on a quest?" he changed the subject. Amara relaxed and pushed the dark brown strands of hair out of her eyes. He didn't know how she could fight with her hair hanging around her face. That was why he always kept his short. That and the fact his mother never liked it long. She said he should be proud of his features and shouldn't want to hide them. He disagreed. He constantly felt that people were staring at his dark skin and bright blue eyes. The fact he had pointed ears and he was taller than the average Dunmer. He had always been built that way, strong, muscled, and only just bigger than a typical sized Orc.  
"The Daedric Princes have a problem, one that obviously has to be fixed by a couple of mortals. The Oblivion Gate is open and we, and another three heroes, need to close it" he could hear the distain for the Princes in her voice, though she spoke quietly. He looked around quickly as if waiting for the Princes to retaliate, but they didn't. He saw her smile out of the corner of his eye. It was genuine. "Anyway, I need to go and collect heroes. Once I found you, I would help you and you would join me in finding the others and destroying Mehrunes Dagon." Zylien had heard of the rogue Prince, but he had never come face to face with him. To be fair, he hadn't actually met any of the Daedric Princes in person.  
"M-Mehrunes Dagon?" he was afraid of the name. It sounded like a vulgar word, something that shouldn't be spoken in polite conversations, or to Zylien, at all.  
"Yes, anyway, are you ready to go?" she said raising her eyebrows. He swallowed his fear.

Lucien had suddenly appeared in front of them. "I cannot let him go" he said calmly. Gods, Zylien wished Lucien was a mute like the previous Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. Then he would be so much easier to deal with.  
"Why not, Lachance?" Amara's gaze shot to Lucien and boy it was hostile. Zylien gulped loudly and watched her prepare to draw her knife. Yep - definitely an unfriendly reaction.  
"Well, you see, Amara, our young Dunmer here hasn't finished his quest for the Brotherhood yet, so you see, he still belongs to me. Cheese?" His voice was soft, but authoritative. She frowned at him.  
"Cheese?" Zylien couldn't help thinking that she had had this particular cheese conversation before and that it wasn't exactly Amara's topic of interest.  
Even though Amara was about a half a head shorter than Lucien, Zylien had no doubts that she wouldn't lose a fight if one started. She sighed, annoyed at the shadowy man. Zylien put his sword away; he didn't want to get into the fight with her just because she was upset with the Listener. She stared up at him.  
"What is your quest?" she tried to be calm, but something harsh took over her voice.  
Before he could answer, Lucien started "Purification, might I add that…". He was interrupted when Amara's fist collided with his face. He stumbled back holding his nose. Blood gushed between his fingers and a look of surprise and hurt blanketed his face. Zylien tried not to throw up at the sight of the bright red liquid drenching Lucien's face, but he couldn't. He turned to the side and gagged until everything that had been in his stomach was turning into a puddle on the floor. Amara turned around, cradling her fist. She had obviously broken something. He looked up into Amara's eyes. No tears formed in them, he knew it had caused her pain but she held herself in check. He watched as she lifted her hand into the air, her elbow bent and shaking. White-blue light streamed out of her closed hand, wrapping around it like vines around a tree. She opened her palm and the light filled the room. He thought it was beautiful. He had always liked the glow pure magic seemed to give off. His mother had shown him how to heal minor scratches but nothing this powerful. He stood up, completely forgetting he had just thrown up all over the floor, which didn't do him any good. He swayed and lost his balance. He managed to catch himself on the wall, stepping in his own mess. He wasn't aware Amara was watching him, until he looked up and saw the look of disgust on her face. He smiled shyly, as if to say, 'yeah I know, it's gross, I think so too.' She smiled back. Her hand was healed and perfect once more. Lucien had fixed his nose back in the right position with a crack. Obviously Amara hadn't extended her healing magic to Lucien. The blood had soaked his robe, but was almost indistinguishable from the black material that the robe was made out of. He didn't look angry. He wore an expression that told Zylien he was used to getting punched by heroes who found him annoying. Interestingly enough, there was also something else mixed in there – hurt. Why would Lucien have hurt feelings? Zylien let it go. He wanted to punch Lucien too, but he got the feeling he wasn't a) powerful enough to heal a broken hand and b) he didn't want to throw up in front of Amara again.  
"He must complete his quest." Lucien said sounding almost bored now. This confused Zylien. He wasn't accustomed to being punched in the face, but he was pretty sure that people were supposed to be upset when they were attacked. Amara stared Lucien down. He was a head taller but she was very intimidating. He wasn't giving in. Point for Lucien. "Sanguine won't allow him to leave" Amara let out a sigh. She turned back towards Zylien.  
"Ready to complete this quest of yours." _No_ , Zylien shook his head but instead words tumbled out of his mouth, "Yes, a-absolutely" he replied. He wasn't going to give Lucien the satisfaction of him denying the quest again, nor would he allow himself to be frozen for a second time. He also desperately want Amara to not hate him like all the other heroes did.  
"Then let's go" she smiled and went to step around Lucien but with a flash of white light she was gone. Lucien's blank face was the last thing Zylien saw before he his vision was blocked by another wave of the white light.

His surroundings became clearer as he looked around. Amara held her knife in one hand and a map in the other.  
"Lucien…" she grumbled, "Any idea where we are?" she turned her attention on Zylien. He did know where they were. He looked around. Banners hung from the ceiling, decorated black with red hand prints that looked suspiciously like blood. There was writing under the hand, written in the same red that said _Hail Sanguine_. He shuddered. They were standing in the middle of the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary. He heard the familiar slow shuffle of feet.  
"D-don't freak out" he warned Amara. She looked confused until a figure dragged itself around the corner. It was the guardian of the Brotherhood, the only zombie-skeleton hybrid that existed. Half of its face was covered in rotting skin that was going a rather mouldy green-black and the other half showed only bone. It had half of an eyeball sitting loosely in its eye-socket. The curious thing was that it seemed to be still ball-shaped and quite intact. Zylien felt his stomach recoil – he wished he hadn't looked so closely. The rest of its body was poorly covered with rat skin, as if someone had tried to dress it. Bits of rotting skin hung off its body. A thought about the smell started to form in Zylien's mind but he quickly pushed it away. He had managed to look at it for this long – if he vomited now it would be bad. His eyes fell on the monster's feet and that's what did it. One foot were turned the wrong way, leaking a dark red, sticky substance across the ground. He turned away to throw up again, but his stomach was already empty. Dry heaving was worse. He heaved until his nose ran and stars blinded his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Amara never faltered. She turned to look at him.  
"I think we might need to sleep. I do any way" she said. By now Zylien was not even surprised. Obviously Amara knew that this guardian of the Brotherhood, foul as it was, was no danger to them unless they attacked another member of the Brotherhood. He flinched then, remembering that was why they were actually there. He knew she was right, they need needed to rest. They were safe until they initiated their quest – HIS quest in point of fact. Amara said she would help him but if he let her do his dirty work he surely would not escape twice. Amara came to help him up. He accepted the gesture. He was too worn out to try and be manly. Besides, she had seen him throw up, almost twice – there was no hint of manliness now.

He told her the way to the sleeping quarters and she helped him walk there. They were almost to the door when a hissing sound came from behind them. Amara turned around almost immediately as if she expected something to be there. Zylien turned slowly. Two men, with black skin, in Daedric armour stood, with their backs to Amara and Zylien.  
"Daedra…" Amara whispered. She let go of Zylien and drew her knife. Smiling, she stalked up to the soldiers of Mehrunes Dagon. She picked up her pace as she got closer. Zylien wasn't going anywhere near them, no matter what Amara said. He watched as she drove her dagger through the crevasse of one of Daedra's armour. He cried out. His cried sounded human. Zylien looked away as the room lit up with the glow of fire. The other man shrieked as Amara set him on fire.  
"You will be punished by Mehrunes Dagon, mortal" he said as the flesh melted of his skin. Amara laughed and Zylien flinched.  
"Mortal? Says the Daedra burning to death" she said as she walked back over to Zylien. He saw the look of satisfaction in her eyes as she smiled. "Daedra; think they're as powerful as their Prince."  
"H-how did they get here?" Zylien asked.  
"The bond between the Deadlands and Tamriel is getting stronger. We need to keep moving." Amara said as they wandered into the sleeping quarters. Almost all the beds were empty except for two. A woman with bright blonde hair and pale skin was sleeping and an Orc with dark green skin lay silent, staring at the ceiling. He didn't move when Amara set Zylien on a spare bed and sat down on one next to it. She nodded at Zylien and they both faced opposite directions and lay down. He was asleep in moments. He didn't dream, and he thought that was good. You didn't start getting dreams or 'signs' from the Princes until you've become more powerful. He didn't want or need the responsibility that came with power.

He woke up, completely rejuvenated and ready for his quest. He sat up quickly, experiencing no nausea. Good sign. He looked over to where Amara went to sleep, she looked as though she had been up for hours and was waiting for him. As she stood up, a bright purple light surrounded her and tangled itself in her armour. It made a circle around her. Her head rotated and left her looking to the roof, her eyes closed. Her hands rose up to just above her waist. Her hands clenched into fists. The purple light spelt something out in mid air. He couldn't read it. He sighed. He never learnt how to read Daedric. His mother would be ashamed. She threw her hands further out to the side, palms up. The room exploded with a tangle of green and violet lights. After it died down, she opened her eyes. For a split second they had been the same colour as the colours that had surrounded her.  
"Woah" was all she said.  
"W-what just happened?" Zylien asked and Amara looked at him like she had forgotten he was there.  
"I didn't think I was ready yet. Thank Azura" she said smiling at the ceiling. Now he knew what had happened. The Princes do it often with Heroes. They give out permanent additions of power when their heroes have proved themselves. He sighed again but this time with no sadness. No Prince had ever chosen him. He was a coward. Someone who couldn't even stand up to a mortal like Lucien. Amara deserved it. Zylien stood up. The room was empty now. Everyone was either on an assignment or in the training room. Without another word he and Amara went back through the door they had come through. The Brotherhood's guardian was still shuffling around the halls, making a low growling sound when he passed certain doors. Zylien tried to ignore it. He walked slightly faster than Amara, which wasn't hard with his long legs, guiding her to a long hall-way. He walked down it, looking at the walls. They were light grey stone with red seeping through the cracks. He looked at Amara. It didn't seem to trouble her one bit. He shuddered. The further they went through the hall way the darker it got. He didn't like the dark either, but he didn't say anything. It was the bravest thing he had done in months. Suddenly, he felt a squelching from under his feet. He grimaced, but didn't look down. Amara did. He saw her blink faster, looking at the ground.  
"W-what is it?" he regretted asking the moment she bent down and touched the floor. He couldn't see whatever was on the ground, but when she stood back up her hand was wet with a crimson liquid. He looked away quickly, not wanting to throw up again. She shrugged and wiped her hand on the wall. It didn't come off, but she didn't look worried.  
"Let's keep moving" she said. There was a door at the end of the hall-way, lit with only on candle that sat above it. It was a strange place for a light source. Why not put two at each side of the door?  
"D-don't" he said stopping Amara from opening the door. He was pretty sure it was still light outside, but he couldn't be sure. Only he knew what was on the other side of that door. It was the man in charge. He was scarier than Sanguine, and more powerful than Lucien. He didn't want to face the man inside.  
"What? What's behind that door?" Amara asked.  
"V-vampire" she blinked twice at him.  
"A vampire? Like the whole blood sucking, sun-light hating, pointy teeth demon thing" she said, leaning on the wall, hands crossed over her chest.  
"H-he's the boss. S-sanguine won't even deal w-with him" he was concerned now. Concerned that she would rush in with her knife and try to slice the man in two. She started to walk away. "W-where are you going?"  
"Start with the other's first then. We take big bad out later" he knew she had no idea where she was going; She just wanted to take lead. She seemed to instinctively understand that his failed quest – the purification meant everyone inside these walls had to die. He tried really hard to not think of the creature that awaited their first blow.  
"Next d-door to the l-left" he murmured. She said nothing, but she slowed her pace as they approached the door. She crouched at the door. It became very hard to see where she was. It was like she was phasing into the background. He focused very hard on seeing her. She shimmered into view. It was the shrouded armour that was making her hard to see. He crouched alongside her. She opened the door. A rush of cold air consumed them both. It was only in the threshold that they felt the cold. As they moved inside it got gradually warmer until droplets of sweat ran down Zylien's face. He was careful not to take his eyes off the room. Amara stood up straight and locked the door behind them. He didn't ask how. He already knew she had used magic. He didn't like magic. It wasn't normal.  
"W-why are you l-locking the door?" he asked standing up with her. She smiled slightly.  
"So no one can get out" she drew her bow. Zylien unsheathed his sword. They walked around a corner to their left. He didn't look anywhere but in front of him, scared that he might catch another glimpse of blood seeping down the walls. Amara stopped and held a hand out in front of him. They waited, listening. Zylien was the first to hear the soft clanging of metal on metal. He moved in front of Amara. She let him lead. He walked at a fast pace down the corridor, stopping every couple of steps to let Amara catch up. If she was bothered by the fact that he was bigger, it didn't show. They turned around the next corner to the right. The smell of sweat and blood wafted away from the Orc standing beside an armoured dummy. Amara had caught up. Zylien didn't want to rush in there and murder what might be his only friend. They had gone on two quests together.  
" _Why did he have to be first? I should yell out to him… I should yell to him to get out while he still can. I should…_ " before he could give another thought to the matter the Orc fell to the ground, an arrow piercing through his armour. Zylien spun around to face Amara. Her bow was drawn, still aiming at the place where she had fired the arrow. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was angry. He was angry that someone murdered his friend in cold-blood.  
"One down, five to go" she didn't smile, but her eyes said she was proud of her kill. Like a hunter who had put down a feral animal. She slithered away down the hall, almost smelling the air for her next prey. Zylien stood up. He walked, shaking slightly, over to the body of his friend. There wasn't any blood coming from the wound as if it had clotted in the time it took him to walk over. The Orc's skin was dark green, like a forest at dusk. Zylien bent over to touch the Orcs face. He never knew his name. They called each other Brother and Sister, depending on gender. It was for security reasons, so if someone went to the guards, they wouldn't be able to tell them who are involved.  
"Sanguine save you" he shut his Brother's eyes.  
"Zylien?!" Amara screamed out. He got up without a second thought. He ran into the next room where Amara was being held to the wall by two female Altmers. He hated high elves, always too proud of themselves. They looked exactly the same, with long blonde hair tied back into a pony-tale, high cheek bones, and brown eyes. They had Amara by the arms, pushed up against the wall with knives against her throat.  
"Back off Brother" they said at the same time without looking back. He hesitated. He couldn't face them. It was a mixture of not wanting to hurt his Sisters and not wanting to die. He stepped back.  
"Coward" Amara hissed, her face twisted in rage. She raised her hands as much as she could. They burst into flames and sent the two high elves backwards. Zylien watched the once beautiful high elves burn and scream as their skin melted away. He looked away, back at Amara. She looked angry with him. He couldn't blame her. He'd left her to die at the hands of two Sisters who hadn't even told him their names.  
"I-I'm sorry" he managed to get out. He didn't think she would accept it, but her face relaxed. He didn't think she was used to people apologizing for leaving her to die.  
"Three down, three to go. If you can't handle this, you won't be able to cope with what we will have to face at the end of these quests" she didn't wait for Zylien to apologize again. She walked away. He would've thought she didn't want to repeat what had just happened. He was wrong. He walked in the same direction as her, towards the alter of Sanguine. It was a room where followers of Sanguine would make blood sacrifices to ensure the success of their quests. Amara stopped at the door, taking a breath before going for the handle. Zylien stopped her. He opened the door himself and walked in without bothering to check if someone was there. He looked back at Amara. She was shocked and confused that he could be so careless. He kept walking. The room was small with a giant statue of Sanguine in the middle of it. Blood gushed out of the walls as if it was coming out of multiple pipes, but as it fell to the ground it disappeared. Two people were kneeling, heads up, facing the roof. Amara froze, thinking they would spring into action any moment. Zylien moved closer. Both members were completely still, eyes wide open but solid black, not showing any white. Their chests remained still, as if they were holding their breath.  
"Are they dead?" Amara asked, but as soon as she asked it, the look on her face told him that she felt stupid. He didn't think it was a stupid question. They seemed dead.  
"N-no, that's just w-what we look like w-when…" he gestured to the men kneeling. One of them was dark skinned with black hair and a short goatee. He was built big with broad shoulders and shrouded armour covering the rest of his skin. Kneeling he didn't look intimidating, but Zylien knew him as well. He knew that the nameless dark skinned Imperial specialized in torturing his victims before he killed them, no matter who they were. The other one was another Altmer, male, with the usual yellow tinge to the skin and pointed ears. He was much smaller in build than the Imperial, skinny and young. He was new to the Brotherhood. Zylien hadn't spoken to him yet, but he had seen him skulk around, shoulders hunched, as if he was ashamed of being tall. He wasn't as tall as Zylien but definitely taller than Amara.  
"You have to kill these ones Zylien." She said staring up at him. He nodded slightly and unsheathed his sword.  
"I-I can't. Not w-with this" he motioned to his sword. She sighed. He stared at his sword. It would be too messy for him. He wasn't ready yet. Not to slice someone in half with the blade. He looked back up to Amara. She held her dagger out, hilt facing him. He took the weapon and held it in his hand. It was a specialized knife from the look of it. He used to make weapons and armour with his brother and father. This one had been specifically made to be light enough to throw but also just as effective in a fight. He shook from head to toe as he walked towards the Imperial. He grabbed the man's forehead and tilted it forward. He readied the blade an inch above the collar bone. As he went to press down, he heard laughter come from behind him. He turned around and found Amara grinning from ear to ear. "What?" he didn't stutter that time. She was laughing at him and he was getting angry.  
"Have you done this before?" she said still smiling.  
"No." His words were bitter. She laughed again and walked over to the Altmer. She picked up a sacrificial knife from the floor next to him.  
"Find the pulse… the heart beat in the neck." She said putting her index and middle finger on the side of the Altmer's neck. Zylien mirrored her movements, but on the Imperial. He felt the thumping of the man's heart in his neck. What magic was this? How could someone feel another man's life force in his neck? He didn't ask. Now was not the time. She put the blade just behind where she had found the heart beat and drew a curved line from the left side of his neck to the right. His eyes fluttered, but didn't get their normal colour back. Blood spilt from the wound and out onto his clothes and the floor. Amara nodded at Zylien, telling him it was his turn now. He swallowed and pressed the knife where Amara had started. A line of blood ran down the Imperial's neck. His chest began to move. He was waking up. Zylien couldn't afford to wait any longer. If he did he would have to deal with the man in hand to hand combat. He liked that idea even less. He ran the knife to the other side of the neck, creating a jagged curve. It did the job. The man crumpled forward and blood leaked out onto the floor. He grimaced at the bodies. Amara gave him a nod and walked towards the door. He had done what she had asked. What Sanguine had asked. Why was he feeling like he had destroyed part of his soul? He walked behind her, checking his hands for blood. They were clean. Amara had gotten ahead of him. He knew where she was going, back to the vampire's den. He sighed. He continued along, ignoring the walls and the bloody hand prints on black flags. He wanted out, but before he could get all philosophical on why he wasn't really a murderer, he heard screams. He thought for a minute they were Amara's, but the screams were unnatural. They sounded like someone had grated someone else's skin and bone on a stone wall while they were still alive. Not a pretty picture, but accurate. He ran around the corners trying to find the source of the noise. He came face to face with the Guardian of the Brotherhood. It was writhing on the floor covered in black and red flames. Flesh was melting off its bones and the smell of rotting corpses filled the room. He gasped as the monster's screams became louder. He covered his ears and looked around. He saw Amara standing, ears covered as well. The screams died down and eventually stopped.  
"W-was that n-necessary?" he asked horrified.  
"He attacked first" was all she said before she continued walking. He looked back at the creature, which had been reduced to a pile of melted rotting gloop. He quickly turned away. He had probably been just doing his job and attacked Amara because dead bodies were showing up. She wasn't a Sister of the Brotherhood. He… It didn't deserve this. He had to call the monster it. Some things were too disturbing to imagine them as another being that can think or breathe. He ran after Amara, after getting the feeling that she had gone in without him. He was right. He got to the door that lead to the vampire's 'room'. The door wasn't latched shut. Probably Amara creating an escape if she needed one, it was either that or the walking dead had grabbed her at the door. He pushed it open with one hand. He looked to his left. A stone platform in the shape of a coffin was sitting in the corner. To the right was a wooden table with one chair. It was a pretty bland room, but Zylien had other things to worry about other than the fact that the vampire wasn't very good at decorating. Amara was pinned to the wall again, eyes glazed over and blood running out her ear. A man with brown hair tied back into a low pony-tail stood facing Zylien. His skin was pale, whiter than fresh snow, and his eyes were blood red. They had a hunger to them, as if Zylien was a deer and he, a mountain lion. He wore a purple long sleeved shirt under a green silk over-coat and tight pants that matched his shirt. His boots were grey and did nothing good for the outfit. It didn't really matter what the un-dead man was wearing, Zylien was going to die either way.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Prince of Nightmares

So it came down to this. Her life was in the hands of a squeamish Dunmer. She could see everything around her, but when she tried to speak or move her head nothing happened. She was scared. For herself and for Zylien, the boy was useless but he was her companion. Her friend.

She remembered walking into the room. It seemed empty when she walked in, but when she went to call out to Zylien someone had grabbed her. Her eyes flicked over to the vampire. For a man who had probably been around for centuries, he certainly did have a poor sense of style. Seriously, who wears green silk? Which Count or Countess did he steal those garments off? Besides that question, which Count or Countess dressed that poorly? Probably the blind one in Bruma, he always did like to dress himself. And the room, he must have come across a decorator in his time. Perhaps even eaten one, surely something should have stuck. She had nothing else to do but comment on the layout of the room, except panic. She wasn't to the point of losing all hope yet.  
"Zylien, brother, it shouldn't have been you. You aren't ready, you never will be. You are scared, you were scared when your father came at your brother, you were scared when your mother was attacked by that vampire" the man had spoken. His voice reeked of an Italian background. Amara wondered what being an Italian vampire was like. Not being able to eat garlic, no sunshine, and no mirrors. She made a mental note to ask him when she could speak again. She liked to think about his reaction, if she could smile she would. Amara knew how strange her thoughts were, especially in a time like this. She could feel her face turning purple from the strain of no oxygen. She wondered how Zylien perceived her. She had been tough in the time they had been together, but burning the Guardian was something that would scar her for life. She had seen someone be skinned alive, someone else gutted with a wooden knife, but never burnt alive. It had screamed when she had done it too. She probably would have lost it if its screams where human. She turned her attention back to the men in the room. Zylien was still a good head taller than the man, but he didn't pull it off. He looked like a scared child. She didn't blame him. She was frightened, but the difference between Zylien and her was that she would had attacked instead of standing there waiting for something to happen.  
"B-brother, let her d-down. She is n-not one of us." He tried to be confident but it wasn't working. Not one bit.  
"You are right _elfi_ , and yet you bring her to me" the mysterious vampire said. His voice seemed to affect Amara in a way a normal voice could not. She suddenly had the urge to stand between the vampire and Zylien again, only this time to protect the un-dead from becoming…. Un-dead-er? Zylien stood straighter, drawing his sword.  
"Let her down" he said slowly. He didn't stutter that time. She dropped to the ground, hitting the stone with a thump. She groaned, trying to re-learn how to breathe, but went to stand up.  
"Stay down child" the vampire hissed.  
"Who the hell are you?" she croaked back, still pushing to get up.  
"Vicente Valtieri" he walked over to her and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the wall. If she hit the wall anymore times, some of her insides are going to end up on the outside. She looked up, gasping for breath. Her vision was shaky and blurred, but she could make out where Zylien was standing. She blinked hard and suddenly the air poured into her lungs. She closed her eyes and lay on the floor, bathing in the cool air around her. She knew there wasn't time to relax, she needed to get up. She pushed herself up, using the wall as a guide. Her feet found the floor and she opened her eyes. Zylien was furiously swinging at a multicoloured blur that was undoubtedly Vicente. There was no possible end to this fight that would go in their favour, Amara knew that. If she tried to throw magic, she might hit Zylien, if she drew her bow, she might hit Zylien. The common factor there was Zylien. If he wasn't there the vampire would be dead by now. She wasn't childish enough to say it was entirely his fault… but it definitely was. She did the stupid thing and charged the blur. It was either that or sit and wait for Zylien to get killed. She hit something that was harder than the wall she had been thrown into, Vicente. She had hit him hard enough that they had both crumpled to the floor, Vicente on top of her. She opened her eyes, adrenaline taking over. She tried to reach for her knife, but he pinned her arm with his leg. He opened his mouth wide enough to see the sharp point of his fangs and dove into her neck. She screamed as his teeth pierced her neck. There was no sound. The world for the first time was silent. Even Zylien's screams had been snuffed out. It would have been perceived as a gift from the Princes, that they had come to save the mortals, but it wasn't. It was Amara's defence mechanism. She was dying and she knew it. Her body knew it. She had hoped it would slow her attacker down. But the blood-sucker was still attached to her neck. She felt his body suddenly spasm on top of her. He fell, head going limp on her shoulder. Zylien appeared above her. He pulled Vicente off her and threw him to the side. Her head lolled to the side, giving her a view of the bottom of someone's robes. She didn't have the strength to look up at the new figure standing in front of her. She shut her eyes, letting the darkness consume her.

Amara woke up staring up at a grey ceiling. She took stock. Head – ached, back – ached, neck – on fire. Things were looking up. She was awake and in pain. Pain was good – pain meant her body was still throwing out signals. She tried to sit up but all she could do was lift her head a few inches from rough cloth under her. She was in a cobble-stone room with a small bed, made for only one person. There were candles on the walls giving the room a soft orange glow to it. It was peaceful. Strangely she felt as though she could flop back and let all her worries disappear. That was until she heard yelling from the other room. It was Zylien. She closed her eyes and listened harder.  
"We completed the quest and you still won't let us leave?!" the Dunmer yelled. She heard a soft reply,  
"She needs to rest, Dunmer, you should know more than anyone that she needs to be in full health before she can protect you." She heard a thump and then someone hit the door. Her eyes shot open to find Zylien walking through the door and into the room. He had a bloody fist and was cradling it in his other hand. Amara managed to lift her head up enough to see Lucien knocked out on the floor. She couldn't help grinning like a child. She would have laughed as well but she felt like she was going to break something if she moved too much.  
"How many times a week do you think he ends up out cold?" she asked forcing out the words. Zylien laughed. It was a good sound – hearty and unabashed. It was nice to know he had a sense of humour behind the timid face of a child. Lucien got back to his feet. Knowing how hard Zylien would have hit him, he should have been out for longer and/or be dead. He got up and shook it off, glared at Zylien and walked into the next room.  
"I would g-get you something to eat but all he has is, um, cheese" he said, sitting on the chair beside Amara. Ok, so the stutter wasn't completely gone. They were working on it.  
"I like cheese" was all she could get out. This was the third time she'd been offered cheese in Mythryl. She wanted to add that Lucien was probably a mouse in disguise or that he had a weird obsession with either mice or the cheese itself, but she couldn't find the strength. This would be good for her. Not being able to throw around remarks like that, might gain her a few friends. Zylien smiled and walked out of the room. His smile was warm, like how an older brother would smile at his baby sister. She felt some of her tension leave her body. He would never be a hero but right now he would keep her alive. She closed her eyes, relaxing back into the bed. Someone touched her arm. Her eyes shot open to find Zylien standing above her, holding a plate of cheese. She smiled and caught a glimpse of Lucien standing on the other side of the bed. He gave her his warmest smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Something about them made her uncomfortable, but they way he looked at her was different now. He used to wear an expression of disinterest when looking at her, but now, yes, now he was very interested. He studied her face, not sure if she was going to sit up and hit him again. She didn't really hit people unless they provoke her and she was too tired, but in his case she might find some extra strength.  
"Relax Lachance, you aren't going to end up on the floor again" she said. She saw his shoulders loosen up. He remained standing up straight, but at least he was comfortable now. She turned back to Zylien and took the plate. Zylien pulled up a chair and sat beside her. She took a bite. As she did, the room felt warmer, not uncomfortable warmth or starting to sweat warmth, but the kind of feeling that comes from a fire after a cold winter's day.  
" _Sit up, there's no use in lying there_." A man's voice filled her head. She looked at Lucien and Zylien, thinking it was them speaking, but neither of them fit the voice she had heard.  
"Great, now I'm hearing voices" she whispered.  
"Did you s-say something?" Zylien said helping her up.  
"No" she smiled. She finished the cheese sitting up. She looked over to Lucien, who was now sitting beside her. He had a perfect posture, sitting up straight, one leg folded over the other, and arms crossed over his chest. His hood was still off, which meant Amara could see his face. He wore a completely blank expression, but his eyes shone in the dark. He raised his eye brow at her. She cleared her throat and looked at Zylien.  
"Where to next?" she asked.  
"Next?" Zylien tilted his head to the side. Had he forgotten about their quest already? She studied his face, waiting for him to remember. He just beamed at her.  
"Sorry, am I missing something?" she turned to Lucien who was smiling as well, not as much as Zylien and showing no teeth, but still smiling.  
"I got bumped up. Favoured by Sanguine" Zylien was glowing, literally. There was a faint glow of pink surrounding him. She hadn't noticed it before. Maybe it hadn't even been there, maybe it just appeared. She smiled as warmly as her face would let her.  
"Dun… Zylien, we should talk about what is next to come for you and Amara" Lucien said. He paused before he said Amara, turning to her, and saying her name sweetly. Amara furrowed her brow and looked at Zylien. He was looking between Amara and Lucien both eyebrows raised. He knew something she didn't.  
"Lucien, would you give us a minute?" Amara said, not taking her eyes off Zylien. She could still see him out of the corner of her eye though. She saw him get up and leave.  
"What?" she asked as his eyes started watering. He was trying not to laugh.  
"Hmmm? What… nothing…" he couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out into a fit of laughter. She glared at him. "Oh, alright, y-you're no fun" he stopped, taking in the distasteful look Amara was giving him.  
"Spill it Zylien or I'll spill you" she said it in a tone that was almost threatening, but mostly impatient.  
"He's sweet on you." Dead silence filled the air. Amara sat, unmoving on her bed, no exactly frozen in shock, but just unable to respond to the comment. Ok, so, maybe it was shock. She frowned. Zylien laughed at her reaction to the news.  
"But… but" she mumbled, trying to think. She couldn't think of any reason that Lucien might feel the way he did. She broke his nose and constantly yelled at him. Maybe he received mixed signals – maybe he was into pain – whatever, it was creepy. Who would mix scorn and constant displays of hatred with affection? She heard footsteps approaching the room. Lucien opened the door.  
"You must be finished by now, we have things to discuss" he said. His voice sounded warmer, with less disdain, though it was probably just her imagination, because Zylien didn't smile. Amara didn't answer Lucien. She just sat, staring at him. He didn't grow impatient, nor ask her what she was looking at. Zylien broke the silence.  
"Our next destination, S-sanguine revealed it when you were resting" he said making himself the centre of attention.  
"How kind of him" Amara said turning to Zylien. She hated the Daedric Princes. They always made them do the dirty work. They put her life in danger too many times for her to count on two hands.  
"Will you be staying longer? Or are you…" Lucien said, pausing to look at Zylien, "fit to leave?" he smiled, but it looked more like a smile you would give someone who was annoying you but you had to put up with. Zylien grinned back, like a child. Amara knew that Zylien wouldn't stick out his tounge and taunt him further, but she didn't like the way Lucien was smiling now. It was sinister, and slightly homicidal. Before she could tell Zylien not to be an idiot, he drew his sword and shoved Lucien up against the wall, blade at his throat. Amara just sighed and flopped back on the pillow. Whoever ended up dead, it was their fault. If Zylien came out on top, Lucien's power didn't match his confidence, and if it was the other way around, Zylien was in the wrong for challenging someone he couldn't handle.  
"You got a problem with me?" Zylien yelled. Not a good start, now he knows he can make you angry.  
"Are you sure you want to challenge me when your protector is, how to put it, out of action" Lucien had stayed completely calm. Which was saying something, because not very many people could be that calm with a sword pressed to their throat. Zylien started to shake. He dropped the sword and backed away. Lucien pushed off the wall and grabbed Zylien by the neck. He glided to the wall behind them and raised Zylien off the ground. Amara watched, one of her blades in her hand. Lucien caught sight of the blade and her eyes. She knew that he understood that she would kill him in an instant if he hurt Zylien. "I think it best if you be leaving" he said in such a low voice it was almost a growl. He lowered Zylien to the floor and melted into the shadows. Amara got off the bed and walked over to the dark elf. She bent over the coughing mess that was her new companion and frowned.  
"If anything that should've taught you to never use your size to threaten those who are second in commands to Daedric Princes" she snapped the last half of her sentence. Zylien jerked away as if he had been hit, or maybe he was expecting to be hit. She sighed and held out her hand. He shook as his hand clasped onto hers. She helped him up, which was harder for her than she would have liked to admit. He was, after all, one of the biggest people, both height and muscle, she had ever met. She stumbled back and fell over the bed.  
"Amara" Zylien called out, making his way quickly to the bed.  
"I'm fine, just a little lightheaded" she held up her hand to stop him from helping her. He hesitated but eventually came to a stop. Lucien appeared beside her with another slice of cheese and a cup.  
"Eat, you'll feel better" he said handing her the plate. She put the piece of cheese in her mouth. She swallowed it without chewing.  
"I'm really starting to hate cheese" she said and Zylien laughed. Lucien smiled.  
"Nice to see your sense of humour is intact" Lucien handed her the cup. Amara took it and brought it to her lips. The liquid inside was numbingly cold, but refreshing.  
"Where did you get water this cold?" she said breathlessly, feeling her insides chill. Lucien just winked at her and got up.  
"She should be ok now." He said turning to Zylien. The Dark Elf nodded, and as he did Lucien leaned in as if he was going to kiss him, but turned his head. He spoke into Zylien's ear, quiet enough so that Amara couldn't hear him. He disappeared then, and for a moment Amara wondered if they were going to have to find their own way back to Tamriel, but in a flash of white light both she and Zylien were standing at the front gates of the Imperial City.

She looked at Zylien and he nodded. They pushed the gates open and walked inside. People of different races dressed in fluorescent colours milled around, talking to eachother. Amara studied each passerby. The first one, an Orc with pale green skin and tufts of black hair on the top of his head, two teeth protruding from his bottom lip, sharpened, and to complete the look, a bright yellow cloak over the top of brown slacks and a tan shirt. Why is it that people in the city must always dress the way they do? The second was a Breton like herself. He was taller than her, but who wasn't? He had soft brown eyes and hair to match it. He smiled as he went past, and she smiled back. It was always nice to see someone of the same race, especially when you rarely have time to socialize. You know, the world ending and everything, again. The last that walked past Amara and Zylien, more shoved, expecting them to move themselves. She was average height for an Altmer, or High Elf. She had brown eyes, so dark they were almost black and curly brown hair that reached just passed her shoulders. Her skin was a soft brown, a mixture that you would only get if you had a mixture of light and dark heritage. Her ears were pointed and thin, they were longer than Zylien's. She wore silver coloured steel armour, decorated with a golden mountain lion ready to strike. She looked like a fairy you might see in the forest of the Shivering Isles, not something of Tamriel. Amara tore her gaze from the Altmer, trying to focus on the task at hand. Zylien wasn't so easily persuaded. He watched her as she disappeared around the corner. Amara laughed and pulled him along.

They were in the centre of town now, with no idea where to start looking for the next 'hero'.  
"Did our lovely Sanguine tell us who the next Daedric Prince we need to see is?" Amara asked Zylien. He just shook his head. She sighed and they continued to walk aimlessly around town. She listened to the normal conversations that were being held by people they passed.  
"…three mudcrabs, oh my, how dangerous"  
"…murdered you say? All of them? Do you think the murderer is loose in Mythryl?"  
"… three hundred gold pieces for a piece of clothing? I would never pay that much…"  
"…Nicoli Vitellius murdered in his own bed? By the hero of Morrowind? None of us are safe…" Amara froze when she heard the last comment. She spun around to see the people speaking. She didn't recognise them, but no one had been in the streets the morning she left Chorrol. She grabbed Zylien by the arm and he turned towards her. She didn't run, but they quickened their pace. He didn't ask why, which she was thankful for. Just as she turned around the corner a guard grabbed her by the arm and threw her back, drawing his sword.  
"Stop right there criminal scum! You have violated the law! No one breaks the law on my watch, off to jail with you Breton" he said Breton like it was an insult and that's how Amara took it.  
"And what right do you have to arrest me?" she glared at the Imperial. All guards in the Imperial City were Imperials; it made life for every other race harder. The guard still had his sword drawn.  
"For the murder of Nicoli Vitellius, now follow me or we'll take you by force" he said through gritted teeth.  
"I won't be going anywhere, you have no proof that I killed him" she said as she shifted her hand. She was reaching for her knife. There was no time to get to her bow, nock an arrow, aim, and fire, so a knife will have to do. Zylien must have seen her hand go to her knife because he touched her arm. The guard smiled unpleasantly, showing his yellowed crooked teeth. Amara scrunched up her face. One of the benefits of the healing magic is that it keeps everything in nice condition, including teeth.  
"You were the last one to be seen leaving his house" he said in his rough, unfriendly voice.  
"I will not serve time in a cell for a crime I didn't commit." Amara snarled. She had had enough of men using their power to make her feel weak. She pulled her knife out and ran it between the individual pieces of armour.  
"By the Gods! There's a psychopath on the loose!" a man who had been observing yelled out. Amara pulled the blade out. The wound began to leak blood. It ran down the guards armour and cloth as he fell to the floor.  
"Imperial guards really need something stronger under their armour." She said, wiping the blood on her shrouded armour. Zylien was frozen looking at the body on the ground.  
"H-how c-could you? H-he w-was just d-doing his job" he stuttered. Great, all that work ridding him of the stutter completely un-done.  
"He was using his position to his advantage, besides I didn't kill Nicoli, he was my friend." Amara tucked her knife away and looked around. No other guard had arrived yet.  
"T-this man w-was an officer o-of the law" Zylien bent down to touch the guard.  
"Look, if you're going to be sentimental, you can go…" Suddenly Amara fell to her knees. She looked down and saw an arrow sticking out of the middle of her chest. "Son of a…" she fell the rest of the way, face hitting the stone with a thump.

She woke up, armour gone, replaced by the standard prison rags she knew all too well. On the bright side, she wasn't dead, which was surprising, since she did murder an Imperial officer, was suspected of murdering someone else and had been shot with an arrow. She wondered why her chest didn't hurt more. ' _Probably the cheese'_ , she giggled to herself. The sound was hollow and not a little freaky. The thought helped her gather her senses. She was probably facing either trial by combat or pending the rest of her days in prison. Knowing the Legion, the people who control the Imperial guards, she would be spending the rest of her life in the cell. She sighed, using the wooden bed as a brace she raised herself up and sat on it. The cell had no window, but it did have four candles to keep the darkness from overwhelming her. She hated the dark. One thing she would never admit to Zylien, that she was scared of the dark. She knew it was her lucky day when the candles suddenly blew out. There was no gust of wind, no wind at all actually.  
"Guard! The candles have gone out" she called out, hoping, no, praying for a response. She ran up to the bars on the door and yelled for the guard. Silence. The temperature in the room dropped significantly. She moved back to the middle of the room. She was left standing barefoot on the icy stone floor, alone. She could see her breath in the air, hovering in front of her before it spread away. Darkness consumed her from all sides. She backed into a corner and dropped to the floor, breathing heavy, sweating, as if her body had mistook the cold for scorching heat. "T-the candles… gone out… please… candles" she curled herself into a ball and hugged her knees. She felt her pulse in her neck as it beat quicker, matching the short breaths she took. Her eyes widened, franticly searching for a source of light or something that might give her sense of sight back. She stared in to the deep black waiting for something to grab out at her. She scrunched her eyes shut and continued to whisper to herself.  
"Such fear you have of my gift…" came a voice from the darkness. Something made its way over her shoulders. Amara screamed covering her face and ears, rocking back and forth, hugging herself tighter. She couldn't hear the figure moving around through her screams. "My, my, how are going to make your way through Nox like this" the voice disapproved of Amara's fear. Amara opened her eyes, only to find herself in pitch black darkness once more. "I can't have you this distressed before you go to my realm." Amara started to gain her vision back. She could see her surroundings now. There was a soft glow above her. She looked up to see a ball of white light hanging just above her head. She wanted to hold it, caress it, and make it promise to never go away. It was a stupid thing to think about a ball of light but that's how she felt. She looked around and her eyes rested on a tall woman dressed in smoky black cloth. Her face was hidden by a black veil. The woman stretched out her hand to help Amara up. It was lovely. A cream colour with well kept nails, painted black, but as soon as Amara reached for them, they began to wither and rot. Amara yelped and pulled away. The woman laughed; a sound that sent shivers down Amara's spine and waves of fear that slammed into her like being hit by someone's shield. "Get up child, we have business to discuss" Amara was able to think clearly at this. The woman had stopped playing her games.  
"Who are you?" Amara asked. Her voice sounded confident. Point for her.  
"Such disrespect, I see why my brother didn't like you" the woman hissed. Amara could feel the woman's burning eyes on her face.  
"A lot of people don't like me" she was beginning to sound more like herself, and less like a scared child. Amazing what a little bit of light can do. The woman laughed at Amara's comment. It gave of the same feeling as it had before. She shivered, trying to think about the woman in front of her.  
"My brother, Sanguine, he said you were a difficult hero" the woman spoke as if she was curious to how Amara would answer.  
"Sanguine is your brother? I would have hated being your parents." The veiled woman laughed again. Amara really had to watch what she said. As she collapsed to floor, clawing at her head. Demonic voices filled her head. They were female, but had a metallic sound to them. She recognized their words.  
"Pathetic, that's what you are… Just a waste of my time…" the voices echoed each other.  
"Make…them…stop" she spat at the woman and with a wave of her hand the voices were gone.  
"I am Namira, Daedric Prince of Nightmares. My brother Sanguine, Daedric Prince of Life and Death has given you his hero, now you will find mine. Unfortunately for you, I do not have a slave." She said in a disgusted voice, as if having a mortal work for you was below her.  
"Lucien is not a slave" Amara said standing back up again. She didn't get a laugh this time. Only the feel of the hatred burning into her skin from Namira's eyes.  
"You will find my hero and leave my realm. Do not return unless you want to be given a fate worse than death." She threatened and Amara felt herself smile. "Why are you smiling, mortal?"  
"I haven't even gone into your realm and you threatened me to never come back. This is going to be fun. Well, unfortunately, your highness, do I call you your highness? Who cares? Anyway, I'm not going on any quest like this." Amara gestured to the clothes she wore.  
"Clothing? You will not accept my quest without a change of clothing?" Namira was angry now. Amara didn't care. No harm could fall upon her while they wanted her for a quest. She pushed it one step further and smiled.  
"Clothing, some new weapons, that would be nice, yeah" she wished Zylien could see her now. Speaking of, where was he? Did he just leave her in here to rot? Did he continue to try and find the next Daedric Prince? She needed to know that he was ok, but she also needed to complete this quest. Quest first, weepy Dunmer later. Namira made a sound in her throat that sounded suspiciously like a growl. She waved her hands and Amara stood wearing a suit of black armour. It looked like it broke into multiple pieces, but when she moved all parts where a dagger could slip through the armour were covered by a black smoke. The shoulders had medium sized spikes and more spikes ran down her back. The helm she was given matched the rest of the armour. It had two spikes on the top sides as if they were devil horns, making a V down the back of the helmet, then into one line. There was a nose piece in between the eyes much like the Blades' helmets. The part of the helmet were her eyes and mouth were supposed to be, was covered in the same black smoke. She put the helmet on. Her vision didn't seem to change, it was unaffected by the smoke. Suddenly, she was holding a black bow and thirty smoky black arrows. She slung both on her back. There wasn't enough time to be in awe over her new armour and weapon. "Perhaps the Daedric Princes aren't always what they seem to be" Amara said. It was her way of saying thank you without actually saying it.  
"Do not die in my realm, if you do I will have to dispose of the body, and I do not have time for such trivial activities" Namira rolled her eyes.  
"And here I thought we were starting to be friends" Amara smirked. Namira said nothing. She waved her hands and everything went black again.

Amara preferred Lucien's bright flashes of light to Namira's darkness. To be fair it was like someone saying ' _I would rather be blinded than blind_ ' but still, there was a difference to hers. There was a faint red glow along each side of the room she was in. She looked around. The room looked as if it was someone's thrones room, which it probably was. It was decorated with bones and everything seemed to emit fear. There were small fire pits leading up to the throne at the end of the room. The 'pits' had bones in them too, but they were lit with a blood red flame. As Amara got closer to the fiery bones, she choked on the smell of burning flesh. They were bones, how could they still give off the smell of burning flesh?  
"Welcome Amara, to Nox" Namira said as she appeared on the throne.

Amara had never been so uncomfortable in her life. The stench of rotting flesh made her feel queasy, but it distracted her from the darkness of Nox. She stared at the Daedric Prince, Namira, on her throne. Namira looked at peace, as if she couldn't smell the vile things that surrounded them.  
"If you wouldn't mind, my Lord, I would like to leave this realm as soon as possible, no disrespect meant." The Daedric Prince raised her eyebrow and turned her head. Amara scowled. Her voice held no trace of fear or discomfort, but instead it sounded polite and sincere. She couldn't help but smile – even in a realm of nightmares she managed to find humour.  
"In all my time in Nox, I have never once seen someone smile in my Great Hall. Why do you not cower like the rest of the humans?" Namira scowled at Amara, who continued to smile. "You understand my power is to induce fear into creatures and you, Amara, are smiling. Why do you not fear me?" she rose from her throne as she asked the question. Amara stopped smiling. She stopped everything as a chill ran down her spine. The room seemed to darken. Amara fell to her knees and closed her eyes as Namira made her way down the steps from the throne to where Amara stood.  
"Stop it" Amara cried out weakly. She collapsed on the floor and curled up in a ball.  
"Now this is what I like to see. Feel it hero, this is my power." Namira was standing over Amara, watching her panic. Namira stepped back. Amara was able to breathe again and the room seemed to get brighter. She scrambled to her feet, looking at Namira the entire time.  
"You've proven your power, my Lord, may I start my quest now. I don't have time for games" she bowed to Namira.  
"Very well mortal," Amara's legs gave out. It was if the ground opened beneath her and she was falling to the centre of the world. She landed hard on another surface. She looked around. The Great Hall had disappeared along with Namira herself, and was all replaced by a corridor. Amara turned around and looked the other way. The hallway reached as far as her eyes would let her see, both ways. It was strangely bright for a place with no candles. She took a step forward. When nothing happened she began to walk slowly down the hallway. She looked at the walls to either side of her as she walked. They were light grey cobblestone, clean, as if someone spends hours scrubbing them until they shine. Her thought was suddenly disrupted. She turned her head so she faced the way she was walking. A section of the hallway had darkened, as if someone extinguished the light, but only in that part. She stopped, staring at the darkness. As she watched, another section, this on closer to her, flickered and became darker than midnight. She stopped breathing. She took a step back, not trusting herself to turn around and take her eyes off the darkness. The step back is what did it. The lights began turning off faster, in an order, going from furthest away, getting closer to Amara. She turned and ran. There was no wind as she ran, no cool air brushing past her face as she ran. Sweat dripped down her face. She ran faster, feeling the dark creep up behind her. She started to get tired, running through the hallway.  
" _No, no, keep running_ " she thought when she started to slow down. The thought of the darkness wrapping itself around her, smothering her, gave her the power she needed. She ran as fast as she could, the hallway echoing her footsteps. She stopped suddenly. There was a wall in front of her.  
"No!" she screamed and she hit the wall with her fists. She turned around, the darkness was catching up, but she had time to think. She fell to her knees and bowed her head. "I ask for help, please, will any Daedric Prince claim me as their hero?" she spoke softly, concentrating on her words and not the darkness. "You bastards" she hissed. She felt a cool breeze was over her. She looked down to see a sea-green light glowing around her skin. She stared at it wide eyed. She didn't recognise the colour, pink was Sanguine, golden was Azura, black was Namira, blue was Hircine… so who was green? A thought rushed into her head, but it wasn't her own.  
"Namira is Prince of Nightmares, does that not mean she wishes you to face your greatest fear _._ " She looked at the hallway, darkening by the second.  
"Who are you?" She asked out loud.  
"You asked for help, and I helped. I'm surprised you sent the request to all Princes, when I had already chosen you" the voice spoke as if the Daedric Prince was right behind her, whispering in her ear. She shuddered, as if she actually felt him breathe on her skin. Time seemed to slow down, the darkness, almost upon her, stopped flowing. "Walk through it, and I shall follow you." Amara took a step forward. She felt a hand slip into hers. "Don't look; I am not here in body, only in mind. If you look the safety will be destroyed" she stopped herself from looking back as she walked towards the dark.  
"I don't want to go" she whimpered as she reached the end of the light. The grip she had on the Daedric stranger's hand tightened.  
"If it makes you feel better, Namira is scared of the power you have over her and fire… but that's a story for another time" the voice said. Amara laughed, but as soon as she focused on the darkness again she stopped.  
"I have no power over her" she whispered trying to restart a conversation.  
"She said it herself. Her power is to frighten, and here you stand smiling at your greatest fear." Amara laughed again. It echoed through the hall. She thought that just for a second the darkness retreated as if it was afraid of her, but when she concentrated, she realized it hadn't moved at all.  
"That's because you're here. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't. I usually don't like to rely on others, let alone the Princes, and yet here you are, holding my hand, staring into the darkness alongside me." The smile never disappeared from Amara's face as she spoke to the unknown Prince.  
"We must walk through it, my hero." She nodded and took a shaky step into the darkness. All the air seemed to leave her body. She wheezed and choked on the nothingness around her. She almost collapsed, but her grip on the Prince kept her standing. She took another step, coughing into the dark. The temperature seemed to have dropped to below freezing. She took another step, fearful that if she stood still too long she would be frozen in the dark. She started to pick up the pace. Her body convulsed, seeking air.  
"No. You must be calm. Calm." She stopped moving and closed her eyes. She pushed the thought out of her head that she didn't have access to oxygen. She inhaled and filled her lungs with ice cold air. The air felt strangely pleasant, as if it was a delicate breeze in the scorching heat of summer. She let the air out slowly. Holding hands, she and her Prince began slowly walking forward. She began to normalize her breathing. Her eyes didn't open as she calmly walked through the dark. As she took another step forward, she felt a tug on her hand. She opened her eyes. The darkness had disappeared. She was alone in the hallway once more. The Daedric Prince held her hand no more, but she felt him watch her as she looked around. She turned back to the direction she had been walking in. A wooden door materialized in front of her, as she tried to take a step forward. She ran her hand down it, not completely sure if it would pass through her fingers when she touched it. It was solid- just a normal wooden door. Normal. Yeah right, as if that's an appropriate word for this place. She reached for the handle. It was as cold as the room had once been. She jerked away.  
"No" she thought, reaching for the handle again. She turned it and pushed the door open. It creaked as it opened. The room was massive. It had a stone floor and bright lights aiming at the centre. There was a hole in the floor filled with bright blue water. Amara walked through the door. She walked until she reached where stone met water. The water was clear and she, as she looked into it, could see to the bottom. A girl sat at the bottom of the body of water. She looked up at Amara with wide eyes. Amara drew herself closer to the water, trying to get a better look at the figure. She had brunette curly hair and dark brown almost black eyes. She recognised her as the Altmer from the Imperial City. She watched as the girl shuddered under the water, letting all the air she had out of her body. Amara expected the girl to pass out, but instead she looked as if she was going to throw up but couldn't. How long had she been down here? How had she survived this long without oxygen? She couldn't answer her own questions. The only person who could was sitting at the bottom of the pool of water. There was only one thing to do. She dove into the water. Swimming down, she saw the lights start to flicker.  
"Not again" she thought, continuing to swim down through the water. She was suddenly swimming in total darkness, the girl being the only source of light in the room. How could a person be a source of light? There was another question to ask when she reached the surface again. It made her stop swimming. She began rising to the surface, but as soon as she realized she was moving, she looked down. The girl was so close now, she couldn't leave her. She pushed through the darkness, focusing on the girl. She convulsed, her stomach jerking from the loss of air. She held her hand out to the Altmer. As soon as she caught her hand, a green light burst out of her hand, sending her and the nameless Altmer rocketing to the surface. She scrambled, one hand still holding the girl, to the edge of the water. Amara lay breathing heavy on the cool stone. The lights were shining on them once more. The girl she had rescued kissed the ground, as if she had been underwater for months. The girl laughed, breathing heavy, and flopped onto her back. Amara's breathing slowed as she calmed down. She flicked the wet hair from her face and sat up slowly. The lights began to flicker.  
"Here we go again" the girl piped, her voice holding no trace of fear. Amara glared at her.  
"Cut the crap Namira, I've completed your stupid task" Amara yelled into the darkness. She was angry and tired enough that the darkness didn't affect her- it was that or she wasn't scared anymore. Yeah right. The lights turned on and Namira appeared in front of them.  
"Get up Merik, you too hero" she gestured to the girl and Amara. Amara got to her feet, using the wall to help her on the wet floor. "You may have completed this quest Amara, but the point of it was to let Merik save herself, not have someone do it for her." Amara raised her eyebrow at the Prince.  
"And I was to have this conversation where I convince her to save herself, when? While she was underwater? Very poorly thought out, if I do say so myself." She didn't care about the consequences of sassing the Daedric Princes anymore- if they wanted her help, they play by her rules. Namira sighed. Obviously understanding that, with everything Amara went through, she deserved better treatment.  
"You are right hero, although, now you must complete a second task. You may complain, but in time you will see that I do this for the best" Amara sighed. She saw the Prince's point. They had to be ready for the final task. Merik stared blankly at Namira. Amara turned to her, studying her face. She wondered if all that time underwater gave this Merik girl brain damage. She hoped not. Zylien was all the child she could handle.  
"What is it then?" Merik said. Namira glared at her and she smiled back, sweetly. Yep definitely brain dead.  
"You haven't the right to address me mortal" she hissed, sending shivers down Amara's spine. "The task, Amara, is to help her. Help her overcome her fear. Not just face it. When you complete it, you may leave" Namira said, addressing Amara now.  
"No more turning off the lights" Amara blurted out, before Namira could leave. She laughed, although her power didn't run down Amara's back. She didn't feel anything. It was just a normal laugh. She fought the urge to smile – things were looking up, she didn't want to ruin it now.  
"As you wish" Namira disappeared into the shadows.  
"She hates me" Merik said. Amara's head snapped over to the brunette. "It's because I was chosen by Azura. Before I started this quest, Azura was impressed by my glamour and she chose me as her hero. I didn't have to complete any quest for it, she just like my skills. Namira's upset because each Daedric Prince will have a hero saving the world, except her." Amara rolled her eyes. She didn't care, not really.  
"I saw you in the Imperial City just before I came here" she asked.  
"Yeah, I was on my way to Nox. Had to get out of the city first, Imperials don't like magic" she replied, squeezing water out of her hair. So she wasn't underwater for months, maybe a day at most- drama queen.  
"Right…" Amara looked down at the water. She didn't really want to go under again. She didn't have a problem with water; it was just annoying trying to get dry. She wiped herself, trying to get all the water off. She had forgotten she was wearing full armour now. It was so light, she barely noticed it.  
"So, what's the plan?" Merik asked. She looked back up to Merik.  
"You're fear is drowning? Nothing else?" she asked, hoping that there was another alternative than doing this underwater.  
"Not exactly, I'm afraid of being helpless, unable to help myself" she said shuffling her feet. Amara nodded. She knew the feeling.  
"I think I may have a solution" She smirked. She ran to Merik and kicked out her legs. The Altmer fell back. Amara sat on her stomach, pinning her to the ground. She wrapped her hands around Merik's neck and squeezed. Merik convulsed beneath her, kicking out.  
"Fight me" Amara said through gritted teeth. She pushed harder on the girl's throat. She could see the fear in the eyes. "Push me back. Do something!" she yelled. Merik was going slightly purple before she decided to fight back. She clawed at Amara's hands and face. "Come on, use that fear and turn it into strength" Amara didn't ease up. She pressed harder until she felt something touch her stomach. She looked down. Merik had shoved one of her own blades into her armour. It hadn't pierced flesh, but had gone straight through her armour. Distracted, Merik threw her off and scrambled away. She coughed as she made her way to her feet. "My armour!" Amara frowned at the hole in her armour.  
"You…choked…me" Merik wheezed. Amara looked up at her.  
"And you fought back. After some time, you fought back, which means you weren't helpless" Amara giving Merik a half-hearted smile.  
"I guess… I did" she smiled back, rubbing her throat.  
"Namira!" Amara called out. Namira appeared standing in front of her, arms crossed over her chest.  
"That, as amusing as it was, doesn't count" she hissed. Amara rolled her eyes.  
"Look, your majesty, we have other heroes that need saving, and I'm sure my companion is in need of saving. He's pretty useless." Amara smiled at the thought of Zylien. They had only met recently, but it felt like she could count on him at her side.  
"Very well, however, do not expect me to lend my power to the final battle; after all, my hero has been taken by another" she glared at Merik. Amara stood up.  
"It would be kind, my Prince, if you would send us somewhere we can find our other hero." Amara hated playing nice. She wasn't very good at it, but when the moment came, she sounded pretty convincing.  
"That isn't possible hero; Zylien is in Orien as are the other heroes" Namira sighed, "I suppose I can send you back to Tamriel." Amara frowned. Heroes? Plural; more than one? She knew that there was one hero in Nox. Perhaps there were two and they had gotten lucky.  
"Thank you" Merik said when Amara didn't answer. With a wave of her hands, both Amara and Merik disappeared in a cloud of darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Boys Will Be Boys

"Don't let her get hurt." That's what Lucien said to him before they left, and what did he do? Just stand there while the guards took Amara away. So what if she killed one of them? She was his friend. They were to scour this world for the other heroes, together. He remembered what his mother told him about the law; they were there to protect us. He didn't care. He needed her back. The Imperial City was big, but the prison was the largest building, and as an added bonus, it was in the middle of the city. Zylien walked along the cobblestone past armouries and blacksmiths. He was going to get Amara back, even if that means breaking the law to do it. It was already starting to get dark. He didn't have time to casually walk around. They needed to find the next Hero. He started to move faster, making little to no sound as he jogged through the city. The prison looked as if it belonged to the Council or the Legion and not the public. It was a clean stone building with dragon gargoyles on either side of the entrance. There were five evenly spaced steps leading up to wooden double doors, each with a dragon carved in the middle. Zylien walked up the steps, mind racing. What was he going to do? He can't just go in there and demand her back.  
"What are you waiting for? You need her back" came a voice he knew all too well.  
"I thought we l-left you behind… Lucien" he turned around to see the hooded figure that was Lucien. Zylien really hated this guy. He was everywhere.  
"Yes, well, I did ask you not to let her get hurt, and what happens the moment I leave you? Right yes, she gets shot" Lucien didn't try to hide his rage. He scowled at Zylien.  
"G-go away" Zylien spat turning back to the double doors.  
"Want to try that without stuttering? Besides, you need my help" Lucien said smirking. How could he be smiling at a time like this? Amara was in trouble, the world was ending as they spoke, and three other heroes had to be found- four, now that Amara had disappeared.  
"Why do I need your help?" he asked reluctantly. He didn't want Lucien's help, but he knew there were things Lucien was prepared to do that he wasn't. "I won't let you murder anyone in there" he pointed to the doors. No more guards will die today. Lucien sighed. Zylien couldn't see if he rolled his eyes under the hood but somehow he knew he did.  
"Fine, no murder, but let me help you. I want Amara back as much as you." He moved his head to look at his shoes. Zylien wasn't convinced he was doing this just for Amara, but he needed the help.  
"Alright then, we need a plan." They spoke, planning out what they were there to do.  
"New arrivals get taken to the holding cells, first door on your left" Lucien and Zylien pushed open the doors. The room was warmer than outside. Blood stains decorated the floor from the front door to the first door on the left. A guard was sitting at a wooden table in the middle of the room. His armour looked new, as if it had never been hit or worn in a real battle. Zylien realized it was only for show.  
"State your business" the guard said and both Lucien and Zylien stepped up to the table. Zylien opened his mouth to speak when Lucien touched him. He looked over to the hooded man. Lucien removed his hood.  
"W-what are you doing?" Zylien whispered. Lucien hushed him. He turned back to the guard who was open mouthed, staring at Lucien.  
"Listener, brother I did not recognise you" the guard said, bowing deeply at the waist. Zylien frowned.  
"Listener? You mean to tell me you're from Mythryl?" Zylien said shocked that the guard recognised Lucien. The guard nodded and Lucien smiled.  
"Fellow Brother, do you realise who you have locked up in your holding cell? Our newest Silencer. Her so called 'arrest' was for a murder that a less skilled traitor tried to pin on our Sister" Zylien watched Lucien spin his lies and the guard's face turn from admiration and fear into shocked and paralyzing terror.  
"Silencer? Praise Sanguine, my utmost apologies Listener, if I had known she was your second in command, or even a fellow Sister, she would not be down there" the un-named guard fumbled to get his keys from the desk. Zylien tried to hide his facial expressions, like he had seen Amara do, but he couldn't understand why someone would lie to an officer of the law like that. Especially when one trusted you like this. This poor man was scared of Lucien. He knew what it felt like to be scared of someone with power over him. Lucien reminded him of his father. Always using his position to take control of others. It just made him hate Lucien more.

The man led Zylien and Lucien down a hall way, the direction of the door to the new arrivals. The walls were stone, grey, the same as all the other buildings in the city, except these walls were splattered with blood and other bodily fluids. The hallway stank of death and some sort of excrement that Zylien would rather not think about. He stared at the bloody hand prints of the walls; picturing people desperately claw the wall, trying to escape the guards. He quickly shook the thought out of his head. He had thrown up too many times in the past two days to do it anymore… at least for a while. Lucien and the un-named guard reached the door first. They stopped at the door, waiting for Lucien to catch up. He should have had no difficulty walking the same speed as the other two men, but he didn't want to rush into a room that was evidently going to be worse than the corridor leading to up to it.  
"W-what is your name… brother?" Zylien asked the guard. He looked stunned, as if either Zylien should have known his name, or he wasn't asked very often.  
"I am but a mere Murderer, my name is not important" he replied. Zylien felt like pushing it, but he didn't.  
"And what is, Murderer? You refuse to answer your Executioner? Obviously you have spent too much time working as an Imperial officer. Do you still respect your family?" Lucien hissed. Zylien knew the order of rank in the Dark Brotherhood off by heart. Murderer was the lowest of the ranks, the new recruits, once you complete enough missions you increase in rank to Slayer, Eliminator, Assassin, Executioner, Silencer, Speaker, and then the highest rank you could be was Listener. However, you had to murder the Listener before you, meaning that there was only ever one of them. They usually tailed Sanguine, being the mortal eyes and ears. The more Zylien thought about it, the more he realized that he was in danger everywhere he went. Rules of the Brotherhood stated, whoever kills the Listener, becomes Listener. That meant even a meagre Murderer could become Listener. Lucien was strong and powerful, but he was in danger. He put himself in danger for Amara.  
"Yes, great Listener! My life for the Brotherhood!" the guard said cowering before Lucien.  
"If, Murderer, you were asked to execute a Brother or Sister for the Legion, would you?" There was a pause before the guard replied, but that was all Lucien needed. In a cloud of black smoke a knife appeared in his hand. He ran it through the man's throat, shoving him against the wall. Zylien gasped and put his hand to his mouth. Lucien let go of the man's body, letting it slide down the wall. A trail of blood followed the man as he fell. Zylien bent down and touched the body. A red spark flew out of his fingers as his flesh came into contact with the body. He jumped back, slamming himself into the wall behind him. Lucien frowned at him. He held the hand that had touched the man close to his chest and stumbled away from the body.  
"We have to keep moving" Lucien said, bringing Zylien back from his shock. He nodded and moved towards the barred gate up ahead. Lucien reached the gate first, he froze. Zylien didn't need to run to catch up. He used his long legs to reach the gate not long after Lucien got there. He saw Lucien turn away.  
"She's not there" he whispered as his eyes narrowed.  
"Not there? What do you mean?" The information helped Zylien think clearly. He looked into the cell, as if checking whether Lucien was mistaken or speaking the truth. He was right. She wasn't there. Had she escaped? Was she looking for him or did she leave him? He slowed her down. He knew she probably did leave him behind, wherever she was. He turned back to Lucien, ready to tell him what he thought, only to find he was kneeling on the floor.  
"What…?" he started, but was hushed by Lucien. A bright pink circle surrounded Lucien and Daedric writing accompanied it. It looked strange, a menacing cloaked man, sitting on the floor surrounded by pink, but Zylien kept his mouth shut. In a flash of light, that temporarily blinded him, a figure appeared in front of him. It was ghostly, shimmering when Zylien tried to concentrate on it. Its face was blank, as if someone had removed the features with magic.  
"My sweet Listener, why do you call me" boomed the figure.  
"Lord Sanguine, we are in need of aid" Lucien said. He stayed kneeling on the ground. Zylien wondered if he should join Lucien on the floor, but if he knelt now, it would look awkward and forced.  
"I heard" Sanguine's face flickered, showing pink fiery eyes, a misshapen nose, as if it had been broken one too many times, and thin lips. He smiled. "I cannot allow you to follow Amara, as she is in Namira's realm." Lucien's eyes widened. Zylien looked from one person to the other. Namira… he knew the name, but not anything about her. He shuffled his feet and opened his mouth to ask who she was when,  
"My Lord you cannot leave her there" Lucien said drawing himself up, like a puppet being pulled by strings.  
"Silence, Listener! She will be left there however, I can still help you." He pulled out a piece of paper. Zylien took it, when he saw Lucien make no effort to reach for it. He read it.  
"Azura? The Daedric Prince of Dawn?" he asked. Lucien took the paper from his hands.  
"The next Hero, they must be with Azura…" Lucien mumbled.  
"Go now, to Orien, and do not waste my time again" the Prince disappeared in a crack of pink lightning.  
"Do you think he knows pink isn't a very threatening colour?" Zylien asked smiling. Lucien laughed. It was a strong laugh, definitely real.  
"Never knew you had a sense of humour, Dark Elf" Zylien smiled at that. He shrugged and Lucien laughed again. "Now, we must be off." Zylien turned to leave, but stopped himself.  
"Do you, by any chance, know how to fast-travel?" Lucien shuffled his feet. Was he embarrassed? "What? What's wrong?"  
"My power, only allows me to travel within the Dark Brotherhood. I am able to travel to Cheydinhal, where the Dark Brotherhood for Tamriel is, but other than that I have no power." The humour had been drained from his face. Zylien felt as if he should comfort him or say something.  
"C-Cheydinhal? That's a day's ride from Azura's shrine on horseback; not too far away." He gave his best attempt at a smile. Lucien frowned. He pulled his hood back, sighed, and ran his hand through his hair.  
"Shall we go then?" he said and Zylien opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, Lucien clapped his hands on his shoulders and they vanished with a crack of white light.

Zylien collapsed on the floor when they re-appeared. Lucien chuckled as he walked past him. Torches filled the room with a flickering orange light. There was just enough light for Zylien to see around him. He drew in a sharp breath and scrambled to the wall behind him. The room looked almost identical to the one he and Amara had appeared in when they had been in Mythryl. Memories came flooding back, memories of the Guardian shrieking as it burnt and melted, of his Brothers and Sisters lying, bleeding out, with the cold blank stare of death permanently plastered on their face. He started shaking. He wrapped his arms around himself, as if he was his own blanket. Lucien frowned. He looked at Zylien curled up against the wall and then around at the room.  
"Cicero!" he called. Zylien looked around. He stopped hugging himself as a man skipped out from around the corner. He wore a jester's outfit, red and black, and a hat to match. The small golden bells on each three points that hung from the hat rang as he bounced through the room.  
"You called Cicero, oh sweet Listener" the man said. He had a high pitched voice one that made him sound like a lunatic. He giggled when he saw Zylien sitting on the floor. "Well what are you doing down there?" he skipped over and slid against the wall, sitting next to Zylien. Auburn hair fell out of his hat as he hit the ground; it was straight and reached to his shoulders. Zylien looked at the man beside him. Cicero smiled, his eyes widening. Zylien frowned, and backed away as he looked into Cicero's eyes. They were full of madness. Zylien scrambled up the wall until he stood over the crazed jester. He giggled once more, as if he knew what his eyes showed. Zylien looked over to Lucien, pleading with his eyes to remove the crazy from the room. Lucien's face only showed boredom.  
"Cicero… Cicero!" he got the jester's attention.  
"Ya know, Cicero thinks you do an awful lot of speaking for a Listener" he sniggered at his own joke and picked himself up off the ground. He made it look like a dance move, graceful, yet it looked like a dance that a jester would do to for his king.  
"Cicero, hold your tongue" Lucien hissed. The man's eyes widened as he reached up to his mouth and pulled out his tongue. He held onto it as if he was scared Lucien might take it from him. Zylien fought the urge to laugh or say something about it. "Good. Now, Brother, we need horses, two, saddle them and make sure they are fed before we need to leave." Cicero said something, still holding onto his tongue. "Cicero, let go of your tongue"  
"As my great Listener commands, so Cicero shall do." He blew Lucien a kiss and skipped out, back around the corner. Lucien grimaced. Zylien raised his eyebrows at Lucien.  
"He's difficult sometimes and not exactly the sanest person I know, but he's more ruthless than most other Brothers." Lucien tried to explain. Zylien broke out into a fit of laughter, doubling over, clutching his stomach.  
"Yeah… ruthless" he made kissy faces at Lucien, who joined in, laughing with Zylien.

The laughter died abruptly at the sound of a woman's voice.  
"Listener!" she called out. A short woman with long black hair, which reached to her waist, came running out from where Cicero had danced off.  
"Sister, what is it?" Lucien said, suddenly serious. She was breathing heavy when she reached Lucien and Zylien. She stopped and looked at Zylien, from his feet to his face. He stepped back. The way she was staring at him made him feel vulnerable. She shook her head and turned back to Lucien.  
"Azura, my Listener, she's here and looking… for you" she said. Lucien's eyes widened.  
"Come Brother we must see for ourselves if our Sister is telling the truth" Lucien started walking around the corner, but he stopped and looked back at Zylien. "Brother?"  
"Right, me, ok, sorry" he said walking after him. Around the corner was a hallway. It was clean light grey stone with Dark Brotherhood banners hanging every three of Zylien's paces. They were the usual crimson banner with a black hand print in the middle. Lucien walked quickly, almost jogged, to the end of the corridor. It was easy for Zylien to catch up, as Lucien was a head shorter than him. The door was as black as midnight and waves of cool magic washed over Zylien as he approached it. Lucien stopped, let out a long breath, as if he had been holding it the entire time they were walking. He reached for the handle but the door opened before he could get there. A figure stood in the door, illuminated with a golden light. It was a woman. She was beautiful, with long silver hair, which reflected the light glowing around her. She wore a flowing dress, the colour of a sunrise, which swept around her feet. Zylien felt the urge to fall to his knees in front of her. Worship her. Love her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lucien frown. He turned to him, shocked that he could be feeling anything but adoration.  
"Azura, an explanation is in order. Please, tone down the glamour or shut it off completely" he grumbled, still scowling at the beautiful woman. Zylien gaped at him.  
"No need for such hostility, Lucien." Her voice sent shivers down Zylien's spine. He felt as if his stomach was about to jump out of his throat. Azura reached out to touch Lucien's face, but he jerked back as if he had been slapped.  
"Enough Azura, this is my domain, not even Sanguine himself has power here" Lucien hissed, his voice full of power. It terrified Zylien. Azura's power began to fade. She was still beautiful, but not overwhelming. Zylien swallowed hard and turned back to Azura.  
"You better be careful about what you say to me mortal. You may have some power here, but you would never defeat me" she said, her voice sounding like any other woman's.  
"My apologies Lord Azura, please tell me why you're here so I may help you in any way I can." Lucien was smart- impatient at times, but still smart. Zylien didn't have anything to say. Lucien was the power here, if he wanted to know something, he would wait until Azura was gone to ask it.  
"Much better, now, I have come to take you to Orien, shall we be off?" she said, her face showing nothing but boredom. Before Lucien could answer Cicero came skipping up behind them.  
"Listener, Listener, oh great Listener," he said in a sing-song voice. Zylien smiled at Lucien, who suddenly looked embarrassed.  
"Cicero, what do you want?" he grumbled, not taking his eyes off Azura.  
"Cicero has saddled the horses for you great, powerful Listener and his companion." Cicero sneered at Zylien, who raised his eye brow in return, still smiling.  
"This companion, Cicero, is the Executioner of the Brotherhood, you would do well to not insult him." Lucien had meant it to be threatening, but it came out nothing but boredom, as if he was talking about the weather. Cicero, however, hadn't heard it like that. He knelt at Zylien's feet and made a whining sound.  
"Is he..?" Zylien began, but before he could finish his sentence, Lucien nodded.  
"…Crying? Yes." He whispered making sure Cicero wouldn't hear them. Zylien bent down and touched Cicero's head. He stopped crying, but didn't move.  
"C-Cicero? A-are you ok?" Zylien asked. He looked up to Lucien, who was still glaring at Azura. Azura was examining her finger nails on one of her hands while resting the other on her hip. Zylien looked back to Cicero, but before he had time to react, the jester had pulled a knife out and ran it through Zylien's stomach. Cicero giggled and pulled the knife out. It was covered in red liquid that dripped onto the ground. Zylien stared, wide eyed at the knife and then moved his hand to the wound. He felt nothing, but the moment looked at his hands, he then felt the wetness of blood on his armour, the wound began to burn. He cried out, stumbling against the wall. He looked at Cicero, who was smiling. He stood up, quickly, as if he forgot he had a knife in his stomach, and went to draw his sword, but fell to his knees. Cicero giggled again and skipped to the end of the hallway. He sang,  
"Cicero the Executioner… Executioner the Cicero!" as he left where Lucien, Azura, and Zylien had gathered. Lucien bent over Zylien, examining the wound.  
"Can you heal it?" he asked. Zylien shook his head, not trusting himself to open his mouth.

"I suppose, if you agree to come with me now, that I could heal him for you. He is after all my brother's hero. He would hate it if I let another hero die" Azura piped up. Zylien made a noise as he fell back onto the stone floor. Lucien growled at Azura.  
"If you are offering to help, then do it." She frowned at Lucien, but instead of arguing, she turned to Zylien. His vision had blurred in the corners of his eyes – he was pretty sure that was from the tears he was trying not to shed in front of Azura and Lucien. Azura knelt, her dress landing in some of the blood droplets that had come off the knife. Zylien opened his mouth to warn her about her dress. When he did he coughed and blood sprayed the front of her dress, a part that would have remained untouched not matter where she sat. He fell the rest of the way to the ground, shaking.  
"He's dying Azura" Lucien said and Azura moved closer to the Dark Elf. She leaned in. Zylien took a shaky breath in. He filled himself with her scent, the smell of wild fruits, sweet, and flowers from the woods of Orien. He felt nothing, his pain had flowed away like it had been dropped in a cool river and been sent somewhere no one would ever find it. He looked down at the knife wound, expecting it to be almost non-existent, but it remained, bleeding out onto Azura's dress. She leaned in further. He could think straight now and he was confused. Was this her version of healing him? He thought about asking, but he didn't want any more blood, than was already necessary, leaving his body. He looked up into her eyes. He felt nothing but safe. She closed hers, and pressed her lips to his forehead. A soft golden glow illuminated the room. She drew back slowly and opened her eyes. A hand appeared in Zylien's line of sight. He followed where the hand came from and found Lucien at the end of it. He had forgotten all about Lucien and the quest that they were on. All that had been important was the fact he was bleeding and Azura was there to save him. He scrambled up quickly, using Lucien's hand to help himself up.  
"T-thank you" he said bowing his head quickly at a Lucien. He looked back to Azura. She was already standing, her dress cleaned and stunning as usual. Zylien opened his mouth to say thank you to her as well, but she held up her hand to stop him.  
"Please, before the embodiment of insanity comes back, can we leave?" she said looking past Lucien and Zylien to the hall way. They both nodded, agreeing that leaving before Cicero returned was a good thing. "But first, you, my dear Dunmer, need a new outfit" she gestured to the hole where he had been stabbed. Lucien sighed impatiently. Azura waved her hand and, in a golden light, armour snaked up Zylien's body. A silver leather robe hung from his body. Golden leaves decorated it, connected by emerald vines that wrapped around the robe. The glow of Azura's light faded.  
"When you're ready, and you should be by now, please step through the door." Azura said, walking through the open doorway. She disappeared as she reached the other side. Zylien turned to look at Lucien. Before he could ask if he was ready to go, Lucien broke out into a fit of laughter.  
"W-what?" he asked, confused by the sudden outburst.  
"You should see what's on your head…" Lucien replied between breaths. He walked through the doorway, leaving Zylien by himself. He reached up to touch his head, but found metal spikes in his way.  
"What in the name of…" He took off the helmet that had formed on his head and examined it. It was a crown, silver to match his robes, with antlers coming off either side of it. Golden leaves decorated the band that had wrapped around his skull. "I look like a moose…" he whimpered to himself. He felt himself blush as he put the helmet back on – he couldn't be disrespectful, not after Azura had saved his life. He took a deep breath, pre-paring himself for what awaited him on the other side.  
"Oh sweet Listener, Cicero has found you a lovely new dagger…" Zylien heard the sing song voice of Cicero approaching the hallway where he was standing. He ran through the portal, not thinking about anything but getting away from Cicero.

Zylien gasped as he received a face full of cold water. He quickly moved forward until the water was no longer falling over him. He wiped his eyes and flicked the water away from him. He looked around, wiping the water off his face. The portal he had walked through let out directly under a water fall. Behind the portal was a cave, decorated by gems off all colours. They stuck out of the wall; glowing brightly. He saw Lucien in the cave, wringing out his hair, looking disgusted at the state of it wet.  
"L-Lucien!" Zylien called out as he walked over behind the waterfall. The Listener looked up and stopped messing with his hair. It had come loose and was hanging straight around his face.  
"You'd think Azura might have warned us about the waterfall or perhaps waited around with us once we were through" he sighed. Zylien smirked.  
"Are you sure you aren't just upset she ruined your hair?" he laughed as Lucien scowled.  
"My hair may be ruined but at least I'm not wearing antlers" Zylien stopped laughing almost immediately. Lucien gave him an evil smile and walked past him to the entrance of the cave. Zylien followed silently. He knew he wouldn't win when trying to insult the Listener; however he was curious to see how an argument between Lucien and Amara would play out – probably with her running a blade through his chest. "Look, down there" Zylien followed Lucien's gaze down to a village just below them. They stood on the edge of the cave entrance looking around, trying to find a path down to the village. They were up too high to climb down.  
"J-just our luck that we t-teleported in a cave in the m-middle of a mountain with no way of getting down" Zylien said looking up and out of the cave. He looked over to Lucien who didn't seem to be listening.  
"How deep do you think that water is down there?" he asked. Zylien looked down at the body of water beneath the waterfall. He frowned.  
"How deep…?" he started, but it was too late. Lucien shoved him from behind. He fell down the front of the mountain. Wind whipped his face as he cried out. He scrambled to get a hold of something, but there was nothing but loose dirt sliding alongside him to hold. He opened his mouth to scream at Lucien to help him, but all the air left his body as he hit the cool body of water. The water covered his face as he sank further down.  
"Deep enough" Lucien jumped from the cave entrance. Zylien closed his eyes only for a moment and then scrambled to the surface. He inhaled as soon as he felt the cool air on his face. He looked over to the where land met water. Lucien was wringing out his robe and hair once more. Zylien swam to the bank, glaring at his Listener. "Now don't be angry with me Zylien, you're still alive, are you not?" Zylien pulled himself out of the water. His clothes were dry, as if he never fell into the water. He marched up to Lucien, who was backing up slowly. He threw a punch at the Listener. They both cried out in pain. Zylien cradled his fist and turned away as Lucien held his bleeding broken nose.  
"Ugh, again with the nose. If I keep getting punched by you heroes, one day it might not heal properly." Lucien waved a hand over his nose. A white light emanated from his hand, and as he took it away his nose was straight and the blood had disappeared.  
"Do it again" came a stranger's voice. Zylien looked over, behind Lucien, still cradling the hand he punched Lucien with. Lucien turned around only to find a boy wearing a dark brown tunic and tan pants. He had blonde hair, almost white in the sunlight and blue eyes – not Zylien blue, but almost as if someone had taken the colour of the sea and given it to him. He was about the same height as, maybe a little taller than, Amara which meant he was smaller than both Lucien and Zylien  
"Who are you?" Lucien asked, his voice unwelcoming and unfriendly. The boy's eyes widened. He was scared. Zylien put his hand on Lucien's shoulder, as if saying he would handle this one.  
"W-what's your name?" He asked in a voice that you would only use for a very small child. The boy didn't seem to mind. That, or he didn't notice.  
"Laen, no last name, no it's not _lame_. Laen. L.A.E.N" he said almost bored, as if he had to say this every time he introduced himself.  
"Well, nice to meet you L-Laen. I'm Zylien, and this is Lucien" he gestured to Lucien who was still scowling at the boy.  
"How old are you?" Lucien sneered. Zylien sighed. His hand started hurting again, either from punching Lucien or from the amount of restraint he used to not punch him for the second time in a day.  
"Thirteen. It was my name day two moons ago. Papa gave me a new horse" the boy beamed. Lucien groaned. "What are we doing Zylien? We need to find the Hero and get back to Amara." Zylien glared at him. Lucien stopped speaking, only to save himself from being struck again.  
"What are you doing out here alone?" He asked Laen, bending slightly so the boy wouldn't hurt his neck looking up.  
"I'm not four" he huffed and Lucien rolled his eyes, "and besides Azura sent me to find you. Something about you helping me finish my quest…"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Laen and The Not So White Wedding

Laen stared up at the Dark Elf and the grumpy figure in front of him. They were intimidating. No matter how much the Dunmer, what was his name? Zylien, right, likes to pretend, he was huge and scary. And that other guy, Mr. I Scream Darkness? He looks like he might cut Laen's throat in a heartbeat. Laen tried to smile.  
"Yeah, Azura sent me, she said you might be able to help with a quest I'm on." He beamed at Zylien.  
"Y-you mean to tell me that s-she's just letting y-you walk around?" Zylien said through gritted teeth. Laen saw Lucien's eyes widen. Lucien stepped back slightly.  
"Yeah, but, I mean, I don't get to leave Orien though" he said trying to make it better. Zylien turned slowly to face Lucien.  
"Y-you froze me! You froze me because I f-failed your little test!" he yelled- oh dear.  
"Zylien, I did not do anything my Lord Sanguine did not instruct" Lucien held his hands out in front of him, as if trying to say 'calm down'. Laen got the feeling that Lucien was about to be hit again. Zylien took deep breath in and backed down. Thank Azura. Laen watched him calm himself down. Lucien looked relieved as well and so he should, Zylien was a head taller than him.  
"If it's all the same to you guys, I'd like to be getting on with this quest" Laen said looking from Zylien to Lucien.  
"And, Nord, what would your quest be exactly?" Lucien said Nord as if it was an insult. Laen didn't take it that way- he'd been insulted worse than that.  
"There's a wedding, King's daughter gettin' married, Azura wants me to steal her crown before the ceremony" he beamed up at Lucien, who rolled his eyes.  
"That's easy then" Lucien addressed Zylien this time, "we go in, kill the Princess, take her crown." Zylien nodded as he thought about the plan. Was this normal to them? Just go in and murder someone for their possessions?  
"No murder, the point of the quest is to be discrete, not attract every guard in Orien" Laen said, eyes wide with disbelief. He looked behind the two men, the sun was going down. Lucien raised his eye brow at him and turned to see what he was looking at. "Everybody, inside" Laen turned to go down the hill towards the village. A hand on his shoulder stopped him. Zylien was holding him.  
"What's going on?" he asked. A wave a fear washed over him as oranges and purples filled the sky.  
"It's beautiful" Lucien stared up at the sky, mesmerised by its colours.  
"We need to get inside" Laen tried to pull away from Zylien, but he was held in place. They didn't know what was about to happen. He couldn't tell them either. If he told them, they would leave. Laen didn't look to the sky. Instead, he looked at his hands. His fingers began to extend, the bones growing longer, shaping themselves into claws. He whimpered at the pain, but neither one of the strangers in front of him noticed. Their eyes were for the sky only. The bones in his back, legs, and arms, broke and reformed taking a different shape. He cried out. Zylien's head jerked towards Laen. He let go of the boy and stumbled backwards. Lucien watched with Zylien as fur covered the boy's body. White noise filled his ears as Laen stared up at them. He saw the two men back away, not making any sudden movements for fear of startling him. He should have warned them. He should have told them that he was dangerous. He should have told them he was a werewolf. He shook his golden fur and stared up at them with his golden eyes.  
"Zylien, the boy, he's… he's a wolf" Lucien watched Laen with wide eyes,  
"Y-you think I-I can't s-see t-that" Zylien replied. Laen was hungry and the men smelt like food. A growl tore from his throat, making Zylien jump back.  
"I refuse to die by being ripped apart by a dog" Lucien hissed. Laen growled again- he wasn't a dog. To prove it, he snapped at Lucien, showing the fangs that filled his mouth. "Right, not a dog." Good, he got the message. Laen's head started to clear. These people weren't food, they were the help. He backed down, lying in the dirt. He looked up. The sun was completely gone now. He howled at the two moons that appeared in the sky as the hazy purple curtains parted. Zylien smiled and looked up at the sky again. There were very few stars but the silver moon beside the crimson one illuminated the sky.  
"So you turn into a wolf at sunset?" Lucien said, getting back on track. Laen growled, not exactly able to answer the man. "Right, sorry" he sighed. He wished he could explain that he had a place down the road. Oh well, they'll figure it out. He got up and started to trot down the hill.  
"Hold up" Zylien said as Lucien began to follow the wolf.  
"What? He's obviously trying to take us somewhere." Good, Lucien wasn't as dumb as he looked.

The ground felt natural under Laen's paws. He loved the feel of dirt between his claws, but the feeling was ruined when red lightning ripped through the sky. Laen looked back. Lucien and Zylien had swords drawn.  
"I've got your back, Zylien!" Laen heard Lucien call out as a creature appeared out of nowhere. The creature had the torso of a woman, but the rest of her was spider. As if they were materializing out of thin air, Laen was facing ten of them now. He whimpered and ran behind Zylien. "Coward!" Lucien hissed at Laen. Something washed over Zylien's face. Laen watched him take a shaky breath in and charge towards the spider-women hybrids. Laen hid back, lying in the dirt so that he wouldn't be seen. The spider-women were dead. Zylien walked back over, black liquid smattered over his face. He was smiling. Lucien walked behind him.  
"Not too shabby for a Dunmer" Lucien joked. Zylien chuckled.  
"You, citizen, does this animal belong to you?" A guard had approached Lucien, as if he hadn't seen the fight that just took place. He looked down at Laen. The guard wore iron armour, not very flashy, but then again, all the important guards were guarding the Princess.  
"Yes, sir, he's mine, we were just on our way home." Lucien lied through gritted teeth. He wasn't happy with Laen. Lucien was good at lying, he didn't stutter once. Zylien stayed silent, which was probably for the best, but he looked grumpy, as if he didn't think Lucien should've lied to the guard. What was he going to say? Oh no, sorry officer, this is just a boy I met today who just happened to turn into a wolf, you should have seen it, amazing sight. Yeah, right.  
"Get inside then, you should know it's not safe to be out at night" the guard grumbled and hurried along. Instead of waiting, Laen continued trotting along the path. His house was small, smaller than all the other ones on the street. It looked more like an extension to a house rather than a house on its own. He stopped at the front door. He never mistook his house for someone else's. Not because of the size, but because of the smell. It smelt like his family. The front door had a wolf howling at the moon carved in the wood. He heard Lucien and Zylien stop behind him. He barked at the door, but the two men were preoccupied with the sights of the town. They stared at the identical houses and the fountain in the middle of the street. Laen growled and bit Lucien, lightly, but enough to get his attention.  
"What the..? Right, this is your house then?" he sneered at Laen. He didn't know what the man had against him, but obviously it wasn't going away any time soon. Lucien reached over and turned the handle. The door swung open. A man stood in the door way. He was Lucien's height with short blonde hair and a goatee. He was built like a soldier. The man looked down at Laen and sighed.  
"What 'ave I told you boy? Come 'ome before sun down" he moved aside so Laen could go inside. Lucien and Zylien tried to follow him, but they were blocked by the man. "And who do you fink you are?" He put a hand on Lucien's chest, stopping him from going further. Lucien looked at his hand and then back to the man. Laen barked again, as he saw a knife being drawn by Lucien. The man turned away and Zylien grabbed Lucien's arm. "These people your friends, boy?" Laen trotted over and stood in front of Lucien. It was the best answer he could give. "Well, alright then." The man moved aside and Lucien pulled his arm out from Zylien's grip. Laen jumped slightly. If Zylien was as strong as he looked, then Lucien was damn strong for a man of his size. Lucien smirked as if he knew what Laen was thinking.  
"Thank you, sir" Zylien piped up. The man nodded as he closed the door behind them.  
"I'm Laen's father. I didn't fink he 'ad any friends who knew 'bout his issue" his eyes followed Laen as he sat next Lucien, who leant against the wall.  
"W-we just found out t-today. We're actually h-here to help him finish his quest. He's been… recruited." Zylien looked at Lucien for the right word. He just shrugged.  
"What does that mean?" Laen's father asked.  
"What it means, you simpering Nord, is that we are to take him on a mission from the Daedric Princes, and you have no say about it" Lucien answered for Zylien. Laen looked at Zylien. He closed his eyes, bowed his head, and sighed. Obviously this happened a lot.  
"What?! You can't take 'im. I won't let ya" his father said, getting angry.  
"We must, there is not time to argue, and the others in our group are waiting for us" Zylien said. Laen tasted the lie on the tip of his tongue. He growled, but no one paid him any attention.  
"They must sleep then, father" Laen's sister came around the corner. She was as blonde as her brother and father and had her brother's eyes. Lucien pushed himself off the wall.  
"Lucien Lachance, it's an honour" he smirked as he bowed. Laen looked from Lucien to his sister in disgust. Was he flirting? He could see the confusion in Zylien's eyes. He bounded over to Lucien and bit him hard enough to draw blood  
"You stupid dog. I'm bleeding!" Yeah that was the point. He cradled his hand and glared at Laen.  
"I fink I better show the boys to the guest room." His father said, concerned about what might happen next.  
"I'll get a bandage" his sister said, but before she could go Lucien spoke.  
"Don't worry about it" he sounded disinterested now. If he was really making a move on Laen's sister, wouldn't he jump at the opportunity to have his hand wrapped by her? He saw Zylien smile. Yep, he was definitely missing something. A white light burst out of Lucien's hand. When it disappeared, his hand was healed. There was no trace of Laen's bite. Zylien sidled up to the man, and only through his enhanced senses was Laen able to hear their conversation.  
"Still in love with Amara?"  
"Still getting on my nerves?"  
"Is that a yes?" With that Lucien blushed slightly and pushed Zylien away. The Dunmer laughed. They both followed Laen's father to the guest room, Laen tailing them.  
"Come on boy, sleep" his father stopped him at the doorway. He growled and shook his golden fur. Sleeping was the worst part of being a werewolf. He dreamt of fire surrounding him, while he was trapped in a stone coffin. He dreamt of being drained of blood and a woman's voice. She would always call out his name. There were other voices, but hers was the most distinct one.

Laen woke with a start. He smelt smoke. He was human again, but that didn't stop him from smelling burning wood. He opened his eyes and saw his room on fire. He jumped up, adrenaline making his heart race. He headed for the door, but stopped. Clothes, he needed clothes. He found black slacks and a light blue shirt, that hadn't been touched by the fire.  
"Laen! Laen, where are you!?" he heard Zylien call out.  
"Forget it, the building's going to crumble, we need to leave" Lucien yelled through the fire.  
"We can't leave unless we know he's dead. Not when his father and sister are dead" Laen froze in the doorway. They were dead? He looked into the hallway. It was blocked by pieces of his house on fire. He ran. He ran back into his room and through the window. He was on the second story of his house and he had just thrown himself through a window, the landing was going to hurt. He was angry. Angry at whoever set alight to his house. In his anger, he felt his wolf, deep down inside of him. He expected the landing to hurt. In fact, he was pretty certain he would break something. Maybe he was dead. That was a possibility.  
"Laen? Are you in there?" he heard Zylien's voice. He opened his eyes to see a soot covered Zylien and Lucien standing over him. Zylien had his hand on his fur. Fur? He looked at his body. It had transformed into a wolf once again. His house collapsed behind him, causing him to look around. He howled, and as he did he shifted back to human form. His howls turned into cries. He was naked again, curled up in a ball in the dirt. He looked up at Zylien and Lucien. Lucien was taking off his robe.  
"What are you doing?" Zylien asked. The robe came off and he placed it over Laen, covering him. Lucien was left wearing tight black pants and a black button-up shirt.  
"You really think I wasn't wearing anything under that robe?" he smirked at Zylien. Laen slipped the robe on. It was a little big, but he was covered.  
"I shifted" was all he said and Zylien looked at him.  
"Yeah, I though you could only shift at night" he smiled, but his eyes were full of sadness. He knew what it was like to lose family.  
"Let's go, the wedding will start soon" Laen sniffed. He would not cry. He would **not** cry. He looked back at the house. Why hadn't any other of the other houses touched by flame. His attention was drawn to three figures in the flames. Daedra. He bowed his head and walked away. What's the point of making a fuss when you weren't going to do anything anyway?  
The location of the wedding was in the middle of the town. It didn't take long for them to reach it. Once they were there they realized just how many people had shown up for the ceremony. There were lilac flowers everywhere, and white ribbons thrown over all surfaces. Lucien looked uncomfortable and Zylien looked happy for the bride. Laen was numb, he couldn't feel anything. His father and his sister were everything to him, and now they were gone. Just like his mother.  
"How do we get in?" Lucien stopped walking. There were guards everywhere, dressed in white steel armour, holding spears.  
"Through here" Laen pointed to where men were carrying in trays of food. They walked fast trying not to be seen by the guards. The inside of the castle was less luxurious than outside. In fact it looked pretty depressing for a wedding. Lucien seemed more at home with the lack of décor. Laen didn't care. He wanted out. Out of Orien. Out of the grip the Princes had on him.  
"We split up. Find the crown then gather back here. If something goes wrong, tell them you belong to the Brotherhood." Lucien said and walked away.  
"The Brotherhood?" Laen asked before Zylien left.  
"Dark Brotherhood. Don't ask. Just say it if something goes wrong" Zylien replied and headed off in a different direction to Lucien. Laen sighed. He walked up the set of steps directly in front of him. He was almost at the top of them when he smelt wolf. He crawled up the steps, keeping low to the ground. Three wolves, one black, one brown, and the last white, were sleeping in front of a wooden door. One of them began to stir as Laen crept forward. He stopped. If he could shift again, they might leave him alone, but he couldn't afford to tear these clothes. He closed his eyes. He imagined his wolf spilling over him like water. He pictured a graceful shift, as opposed to a violent one, where he lost all his clothes. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at golden paws. It worked. He trotted up to the wolves. They remained asleep, smelling only wolf and not human. He pushed the door open with his head and snuck inside. A woman sat at her vanity table. She had midnight black hair. She was dressed in a white frilly wedding dress.  
"Oh look at you, who might you be, handsome boy?" she got up and walked over to Laen. He stared up at her. She reached down and patted him on the head. "Daddy must have sent you as a wedding present." She smiled, her perfectly white teeth showing.  
"My Grace, there's a man downstairs claiming to be the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood." Laen's ear twitched. Either Lucien or Zylien had been caught. He wasn't sure who though.  
"I'm coming. Who do they think they are? Planning to murder someone on **my** special day?" she spoke to herself as she left the room. Laen closed his eyes and pictured his human skin washing over him as easily as his fur had. He opened them and found himself crouching, fully clothed. He smiled.  
"Yes!" he cheered. He stood up. There wasn't time to celebrate. He had to find the crown and get out. It wasn't hard to find the crown. It was silver, with purple diamonds encrusted into it. He took it without a second thought. He didn't know what Azura wanted with it, but he didn't care at that point. He walked over to the window. It was a four story drop. He took a deep breath in and threw himself at the window. Gods, he hoped this worked again. He let out the breath as he fell and felt the wind on his fur. He landed on his stomach, the crown still in his mouth. He was amazed that he wasn't hurt. He could definitely get used to this. He transformed back to his human counterpart and ran to where the three of them were to meet up. Zylien was there waiting. He smiled as Laen approached the doorway. Lucien stepped out of the shadows. He looked grumpy. Laen realised why he was upset. He was wearing a necklace of white and purple flowers. Zylien chuckled at the sight of him.  
"Shut up reindeer" he grumbled and walked out past Laen.  
"That was surprisingly easy" Zylien said as they exited the town.  
"Yes, especially once the Princess was out of the way" Lucien smirked. Laen and Zylien stopped dead in their tracks. A scream erupted from the castle. The three of them ran for the hill, where they had met Laen.  
Azura wasn't happy.  
"But, Prince Azura, I did as you said and **I** didn't kill anyone" Laen glared at Lucien, who was still wearing the flowers. Perhaps he had forgotten about them.  
"I accept that you completed your quest. I would be ecstatic to have you as my hero, Laen, unfortunately I have chosen another and another has chosen you" she smiled. He furrowed his brows. He had already been chosen? By whom? He looked at Zylien for a clue, but the Dunmer was drooling over Azura. Gods he was no help.  
"Who claimed me?" he asked Azura. She smiled and held out her hands. A blue wolf appeared. It howled at Laen.  
"Hircine, my child. He was impressed with your ability to control the wolf inside you" Azura said cheerfully and the wolf disappeared. Laen felt a rush of power. He looked down at his body. He was wearing leather armour, a shadow black wolf sat on the centre of his chest. He smiled as he began to glow blue.  
"I've been claimed!" he cheered. Zylien high-fived him.  
"Will you take us back?" Lucien asked. Azura nodded and in a flash of light they disappeared.  
The three of them appeared in a forest. It was sunrise. The blue glow around Laen was disappearing.  
"Amara and her companion will be here shortly. Be patient" Azura said and then she disappeared. Laen felt that the 'be patient' was more for Lucien than the rest of them. He grinned. Zylien took off his helmet and placed it on the ground. A spark of red light came out of his hands as he touched the ground. He jumped back. Lucien raised his eye brows. The forest was silent, until Laen hear a rumbling beneath them. He bent over and touched the ground. He felt the earth beneath him split. He threw himself out of the way. In his place was a white armoured skeleton. It wore black leather armour and a hood to match it.  
"What in the name of Sanguine is that?" Lucien asked staring wide eyed at the skeleton. "And why is it wearing the armour of the Dark Brotherhood?" Laen didn't get time to register the skeleton. Two girls appeared right in front of it, one with long straight brown hair, the other with curly hair, a darker brown. Laen jumped back.  
"Amara!?" Zylien said eyes wide. He was grinning like an idiot. The girl he addressed, the one with straight hair, pushed herself off the ground. The other girl seemed to have passed out.  
"Zylien" she smiled and ran over to the Dark Elf. He hugged her. Laen watched him as he looked at Amara. He looked at her as if she was his little sister. He suddenly remembered the conversation he overheard in Orien, about Lucien being in love with this Amara person. He couldn't bring himself to look at Lucien. This girl, whoever she was, was perfect, and she hadn't even said one word to him. She had bright grey eyes that shone in the light. They sparkled enough; he would have called them silver. He blushed slightly. Lucien must have seen his reaction, because when he looked up, he was being glared at by the Listener himself.  
"I see you found the next hero" Zylien said confidently. Amara nodded and looked at the still unconscious girl.  
"We saw her in the Imperial City, remember the Altmer? Yeah, that was her. Her name's Merik" Amara said.  
"This is Laen. We just pulled him from Orien. I could never have done it without Lucien." As if on cue she looked over to Lucien. He bowed slightly. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug as well. Laen used his heightened senses to hear what she was whispering to him.  
"Thank you" was all she said. From the look on Lucien's face as she pulled away, it was all that was needed. A blood curdling scream ripped through the forest. Amara looked over to where it had come from. The other girl, Merik, was awake, and staring at the skeleton.  
"Oh right… Skeleton" Zylien nervously rubbed the back of his neck.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Merik and One Less Saviour

Merik screamed at the skeleton in front of her. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and stared at Amara, who had come over to comfort her. Merik stopped screaming.  
"It's ok, it's ok, I made the skeleton" Merik looked over to who was speaking. A Dark Elf, taller than anyone she had ever seen, with bright blue eyes and a short military style hair cut. She swore she recognised him from somewhere.  
"Have we met?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to one side.  
"I'm Zylien, w-we crossed paths in t-the Imperial City" he smiled at her as he reached out to help her off the ground. She took his hand and was lifted off the ground.  
"Thank you. I'm Merik" she brushed the dirt off her armour.  
"Merik, this is Lucien" Amara gestured to a man about a head taller than Amara, the same as Merik, with black hair tied into a pony tail, skin tight black pants and a button up shirt the same colour. He had a necklace of flowers around his neck. Merik fought the urge to laugh. She reached out to shake his hand but he didn't meet half way. "Be nice" she heard Amara whisper. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Amara sighed. The last boy was blonde with blue-green eyes. He had boy-ish good looks, that, if all went well, would make him even more handsome later in life.  
"This is Laen" Zylien said as both he and Merik watched the boy drool over Amara. Amara must have caught him staring as well because she rolled her eyes. Merik didn't bother with introductions with Laen; he was a bit… preoccupied.  
"Zylien, skeleton" Amara said, breaking the silence.  
"Right yes, sorry" Zylien walked over to the skeleton. Merik watched, eyebrows raised, as Zylien tried talking to the skeleton.  
"What is he doing?" Merik whispered to Amara. She just shrugged.  
"Zylien believes it'll bend to his will by voice, physical force is not an option for our Dunmer" Lucien said watching Zylien converse with the un-dead. Merik looked back at the skeleton. It terrified her. Looking into its hollowed out eye sockets made her knees weak. Before she collapsed, the ground beneath the skeleton opened up and swallowed it. Zylien walked back, a grin plastered to his face.  
"Well done Zylien." Merik expected those words to come from Amara, but instead Lucien had praised him. Amara looked as confused as Merik.  
"Why are we still here? I say Amara goes and finds the other heroes and we find a place to sleep. This, after all, is her quest" came a voice, more high pitched than Zylien's and Lucien's. Merik turned around to find Laen frowning- so much for him being head-over-heels for Amara.  
"I need to get one thing straight, Nord, we fight together and travel together as a team" Amara hissed. She, even though she was shorter than Laen, was very intimidating.  
"This may have started as Amara's quest, but it's become everyone's quest now" Zylien added confidently.  
"Amara is our leader, and, I don't know about any of you, but I'll follow her to the grave" Merik said. Everyone nodded and Amara smiled.  
"Let's go find this hero" Amara turned and started walking to a dark opening.  
"Where are we off to?" Merik jogged up to Amara. She stopped. Merik stopped beside her, at the entrance of darkness. Amara swallowed hard.  
"Lupus" she said, he voice wasn't confident at all, "Hircine's plain." Merik nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"I could walk with you if you'd like" Merik offered. Lucien seemed to suddenly appear beside them. Merik caught sight of the purple flowers hanging around his neck and struggled to hold back a laugh.  
"Lucien, are you wearing a flower necklace?" Merik said, trying to distract Amara from the dark. She broke out in a fit of laughter. Lucien's back straightened. He smiled; embarrassed he still had them on.  
"Don't laugh, he's fond of his flower necklace" Zylien said catching up to them. He was wearing a helmet now. It was decorated by leaves and two antlers. Amara laughed even harder. Merik joined her.  
"It's a long story" Lucien said, still smiling. As the laughter died, Amara sighed. She took a shaky step towards the darkness. Merik walked with her; trying to comfort her, but Lucien got there first. He didn't ask any questions. He took off the flower necklace and put it over Amara's head. She smiled and took his hand. They started off walking into the darkness, him whispering to her. Zylien came up to Merik.  
"Shall we go?" he asked. She smiled and they walked together. Out of the corner of her eye she was Laen drag himself behind them. He looked upset. Reasonable, since he was the youngest and no one seemed interested in talking to him. "Amara found me first, she's nice, ruthless, but I trust her" Zylien said, trying to make conversation. Merik smiled.  
"I think she thinks she has to be strong all the time. Lucien's good for her, he brings out the softer side in her" she chuckled. He smiled.  
"Not in the beginning, in fact it wasn't that long ago that she broke his nose. Something's changed. M-maybe that he helped me find Laen and get back to her" he said as they walked further into the darkness. Merik smiled. She looked up ahead. Amara was speaking quietly to Lucien, still holding his hand. She could see how happy he was, just talking to her.  
"She's talking about the Dark Brotherhood with him." Merik looked back, over her shoulder. Laen looked grumpy.  
"How do you know?" Merik asked. She already didn't like Laen and she didn't even know him that well.  
"Werewolf hearing" he said pointing to his ears. Merik scowled.  
"It's not polite to eavesdrop" she hissed. Laen jerked back as if she'd slapped him. Merik turned back and faced the way she was walking. She could see a blue light just ahead. Everyone's pace picked up once the light was spotted. They entered a clearing. A massive statue of a wolf stood in the middle. The grass surrounding it was as blue as the sky. Amara let go of Lucien's hand, and he let her.  
"Anyone know how to awaken the 'Oh Great Prince of the Hunt'" Lucien said sarcastically.  
"Blood of an animal" Laen piped up. Amara nodded.  
"Then we find an animal" Amara and Zylien searched through the bushes that surrounded the statue.  
"He's an animal. At least when he wants to be" Lucien whispered to Merik, gesturing to Laen as he gave an evil smile; one that betrayed all innocence. Merik made a note to herself; even though Lucien seemed nice, she was to stay well away from the psychopath in black. She stared open mouthed at him. He laughed and walked away.  
Laen wasn't looking for an animal.  
"Why aren't you helping?" Merik asked before she started looking as well.  
"Even if I do find one, I couldn't kill it. Do you really think Lucien would let me get away with handing it over to someone else to kill? Even Zylien would kill the animal" he said, his eyes watering.  
"Don't cry. I'll help you. It doesn't matter what Lucien thinks" Merik tried to comfort him. He wiped his eyes and nodded.  
"Nothing" Zylien and Amara called out, as they walked back in front of the statue.  
"I've got nothing" Lucien joined them. Merik shook her head as she and Laen stood with the group. She watched Amara look up at the wolf statue.  
"Hircine, in the old legions, was a werewolf, wasn't he?" Amara asked, "Wouldn't it make sense if the blood came from a werewolf?" As far as Merik knew, Amara didn't know Laen was a werewolf. Laen's eyes seemed to widen with fear. Merik saw Lucien smile and turn his head slowly towards Laen. Zylien's eyes flicked towards him as well. Now, everyone watched him. "I feel like I'm missing something" Amara said watching everyone watch Laen.  
"Our young Nord is a werewolf" Lucien said, a touch of humour in his voice. Amara didn't smile.  
"Give me your hand" she said. Laen shook his head rapidly.  
"We need to complete the quest Laen, trust her" Zylien said, trying to convince him to go forward. Amara was impatient, Merik knew this, and Zylien and Lucien knew this. Merik was betting good money that Laen didn't. Amara grabbed his hand and in one quick motion she sliced it with a blade Merik hadn't seen her draw. Laen cried out as she pressed his wound to the statue.  
"Quiet" she hissed. Laen whimpered. Merik couldn't help feeling sorry for the boy. He was a child and a coward, but she wanted to help him. She knew Amara was probably thinking about the group and the bigger picture, but Laen needed someone to trust, not someone that'll hurt him. Amara let go of his hand and turned away to look at the statue.  
"Come here" Merik said softly and Laen walked to her, a tear rushing down his hand.  
"It hurts" he snivelled. She examined his hand. Amara had barely cut it. The cut was a straight line across him palm, just deep enough to draw blood. Merik sighed.  
"It's not deep, it won't scar" she assured him. He nodded as he cradled his hand. When she turned back to the group, a wolf three times the size of Zylien, with midnight blue fur, towered over them. Another whimper escaped Laen, and this time it was completely reasonable.  
"Lord Sanguine" Amara addressed the wolf, no sound of fear in her voice. Either she was used to people towering over her or wolves didn't bother her, but she wasn't scared. Even Lucien was bothered by the animal, and that was saying a lot, because he didn't seem like the type to get easily scared.  
"Mortals, you've awakened me, for what?" The voice of Hircine seemed to project inside their heads.  
"You have a hero for us, the last hero; we ask that you allow us to find him" Amara said dropping to one knee, her head bowed. Lucien, Zylien, Merik, and Laen followed her, dropping to one knee.  
"If you insist" Hircine said, sounding tired. The wolf walked through the bush to the right of the statue. Amara scrambled to her feet and followed the beast. She gestured to the rest of the group to follow as the wolf disappeared through the plants. Merik was the second person, behind Lucien, to follow Amara. They stepped through the bush. The smell of rain filled the air as Merik looked around. They had come out in another forest. Everything was coloured different shades of blue. There were silver fairy lights hanging from each tree. A man, the same size as the wolf came out of the forest. He was shirtless and he wore the skull of a deer as a helmet, including its antlers.  
"I like your helmet" he said smiling at Zylien. He winked at Laen.  
"Who's that?" Amara asked. Laen stared open mouthed at the figure and the wolf.  
"They're both Hircine. The wolf represents his connection to nature and the man is for hunters" Laen said, staring at the Prince. Amara bowed. Hircine nodded and climbed onto his wolf. He rode into the trees and disappeared.  
"I must say, this is probably the most beautiful realm I have ever visited" Lucien touched the tree closest to him.  
"Where do you think our hero is?" Zylien asked looking around.  
"Maybe Laen knows" Merik said looking towards the blonde boy, who was fascinated by the trees and plants that surrounded them. Laen looked towards Merik.  
"Perhaps, Laen, would you try to catch the scent of another human. We don't know what race, but just something" Amara suggested. There was a hint of distain in her voice. No one seemed to notice it, but Merik. Laen nodded still holding his own hand. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and his skin seemed to melt away, leaving fur behind it. A wolf with golden fur stood at Amara's feet. She looked like she was fighting not to step back. Laen took off walking around, sniffing the ground. He growled at the base of one of the trees. Zylien went over.  
"What are you doing?" Merik asked as Zylien felt the ground.  
"When I created the skeleton before, I felt the ground as if it was a part of me. Right here, on this spot, I feel life. Not just nature, but a person, I'm not sure how to describe it." Zylien explained. Merik was still confused. She watched the ground part beneath Zylien's hands. Laen whimpered and ran, tail tucked between his legs, behind Merik. The ground continued to part. It only stopped when Zylien drew back suddenly. Merik and Amara took a step closer, curious about what he had found. A man, about the same age as the rest of them, early twenties, lay, wearing a silver robe, in the dirt. His hair matched his robe. His skin was pale. Merik stared at the man. He had the hair of a male Altmer, but he didn't have the skin colour or pointed ears.  
"Help me get him up" Amara said walking over to the unconscious man. Lucien helped her sit him up against the tree.  
"I'll get water." Zylien said as he ran over to the sky-blue pool of water to the left. Merik stood, Laen still behind her cowering. Zylien came back, a leaf cupped in his hand, filled with the water. He bent down to feed the man the water, but Amara took it from him.  
"We need him awake, now" she tossed the water in the un-named man's face. He woke gasping for air. Amara and Lucien jumped back.  
"W-where am I? Who are you?" He stared wide eyed at Amara.  
"You're in Lupus, Hircine's plain of Oblivion. We are…" Amara looked at each one of her companions.  
"We are the heroes of Tamriel" Lucien finished her sentence. Merik smiled. It was a good name. She finally felt like a hero.  
"What's your name?" Merik asked. The silver haired man turned towards her. She looked into his eyes. From a distance they would have looked black, but with the lights the surrounded them, she saw that they were purple.  
"Domrick" he said staring back up at her.  
"I'm Merik." She reached out her hand to help him up. He watched her with such fascination.  
"What are you?" he asked reaching up, not to take her hand, but just to touch it.  
"What?" she was confused again. That seemed to be happening regularly.  
"You're skin, your eyes, they're so much darker than everyone else's." he said as he brushed his fingers over her hand and arm. The touch made Merik shiver.  
"I'm an Altmer, high elf, my father was an Imperial" she said. She had completely forgotten that Laen was trembling against her legs or that Amara and Lucien were crouched beside Domrick, or even that Zylien was standing right next to her. Nothing existed except for her and the man in front of her.  
"I'm an Imperial too" he said, his voice sounding dreamy.  
"We have to keep moving" Amara's voice snapped Merik out of whatever jus happened. She pulled her hand away from Domrick so fast that she stumbled and fell over Laen. Before she hit the ground, she felt someone catch her. She looked up; expecting it to be Domrick, but it was Lucien.  
"Whatever you've done to me, I want you to stop" he whispered in her ear. She frowned at him, trying to understand what he was talking about. She looked in front of her. Zylien was offering her a hand up and Laen was rubbing his face against her legs. Her eyes caught sight of a golden light illuminating her skin.  
"Azura has already claimed you, so why the golden glow?" Amara asked. Merik looked up at her. She had no trace of jealously. She wasn't bothered by the fact that all the boys seemed to be falling over themselves to be around her. Maybe she knew Merik wasn't doing it on purpose, or that Lucien was loyal to her not Merik.  
"Glamour" Lucien said through gritted teeth, still holding Merik.  
"Can you turn it off?" Amara asked watching Domrick try to stand up. Merik concentrated. She closed her eyes and pictured the golden light fading. Pictured Lucien letting her fall into the dirt, Laen curl into the grass and turn back into a human, Zylien retract his hand and walk away to fetch more water for Domrick, and finally Domrick resting against the tree, instead of getting up. As she opened her eyes, everything happened at once. She fell into the dirt, hitting her head on the forest floor, Zylien walked away, Laen cried out, changing back into a human, and Domrick grunting as he slumped against the tree.  
"That's a dangerous power you have" Lucien said standing next to Amara. Dangerous, it felt more like a gift from the Gods… or Princes. Her greatest fear was being helpless, and here she was, the power to enchant men to do her bidding, to help her. She fought the urge to smile, only because Lucien was unhappy that he had been put under a spell. Zylien was walking back with more water.

They waited around for Domrick to regain enough strength to stand up. Once he did, Amara interrogated him.  
"What's your current quest, Imperial?"  
"It's Domrick, and I'm hunting something"  
"What are you hunting?"  
"An animal." Domrick smiled. He was enjoying making her work for her answers. Merik thought Amara was going to give up, but she knew better. Amara's hand lit on fire. She grabbed Domrick around the neck with her other hand and pinned him to the tree. She moved the flaming hand dangerously close to his face.  
"Im not a patient woman"  
"I can see that" Domrick wasn't smiling anymore. In fact, he looked terrified. Was he afraid of fire?  
"Now, you can either tell me what goddamn quest you're on, so we can help you complete it, or I set you alight and leave you to die" Amara smiled. It was the kind of smile that you wouldn't want to see from someone who was threatening your life.  
"Ok, ok, I was just having a little fun; I'll tell you anything if you just get the fire away" Domrick sounded desperate now. Amara didn't move. It was as if she wanted to burn him.  
"Amara" Lucien put a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head. Her laming hand went out and she stepped back, letting go of Domrick.  
"I'm hunting a minotaur. It's escaped from the Oblivion Gate and been attacking Hircine's unicorns" Domrick explained, rubbing his throat.  
"Unicorns?" Zylien asked, as if he didn't think Domrick was being serious.  
"Lord Hircine is fond of his unicorns" was all Domrick said.  
"A minotaur" Amara said, thinking. She looked as Laen, who was still wearing his black cloak. She looked at Lucien suddenly. Merik was definitely missing something.  
"Is he wearing your robe?" she asked. Lucien nodded saying he'd tell her later.  
"We have a minotaur to find" Merik said, getting a little impatient with people getting side tracked.  
"Right, where to first, Imperial?" Amara asked Domrick. Merik took notice of how long it took her to call people by their names. She called Zylien and Lucien by their names, and even Merik herself, but that's only because of the circumstances in which they met in. If they had met like she met Laen or Domrick, maybe she would just be Altmer.  
"It's started to become careless, leaving a trail behind it" Domrick said as he walked over to an imprint of a hoof in the ground. It was bigger than a horses, much bigger. It looked like it was made by a horse the size of Hircine's wolf. The thought of a Minotaur that big made Merik scared. "He's also been leaving bodies behind; I think it might be trying to taunt me" Domrick added.  
"I'm scared" Laen whimpered. Amara looked over. She sighed and held out a hand. He took it and she lifted him off the ground. Merik expected him to hide behind Amara as he had done with her, but he attached himself to her arm. Amara looked uncomfortable, but there was no way of him getting off her without her being rude first.  
"Laen" Merik said sweetly. She concentrated on the feeling she got when she used her glamour. She pictured the power flowing into him. When she focused back on Laen, he let go of Amara. He walked over to Merik, his eyes not completely focused. He stood next to her, just touching her arm.  
"Is it just me or is that super creepy?" Domrick asked. Zylien laughed.  
"Merik's power or Laen's un-dying love for Amara?" Zylien said and the rest of the group joined in. Even Lucien was laughing. Amara quieted the laughter with a hand gesture.  
"If it's not too much trouble, he'd be more help and less of a hindrance like that, would you mind leaving him like this as we do the quest?" she asked Merik. Merik nodded. It was the least she could do. She had skills with a sword and the scars down her arm to prove it, but she got the feeling Amara and the boys were better. Domrick started walking through the forest. Amara walked behind him with Lucien and Zylien at either of her sides. Merik followed up behind with Laen. She appreciated the space. They were nice and all, but she felt like a bit of an outcast. Amara had met Zylien first, with Lucien, so they knew eachother better. They also seemed more willing to kill this monster than she was. She wasn't scared, but she was definitely opposed to slaughtering the beast. Her parents had told her that animals were sacred, and that we didn't deserve the love of nature, that's why animals attack humans. She ran her hand along the trees as she walked and watched the lights dance off her armour. She would never have believed they were natural lights if she had seen them herself. They didn't feel like magic or a trick of the mind. Merik was lost in thought when she heard an ear splitting cry come from up ahead. She ran, Laen tailing her, like a zombie. She entered another clearing. A minotaur stood, surrounded by giant black wolves. Half of its body was the body of a man, brown with the dirt that covered it. The other half was of a bull, its fur brown, but so dark it looked black. Its eyes blue, like the forest that surrounded it, filled with pain. It had a silver metal ring going through its nose. Merik looked around, quickly. Amara and the others were nowhere in sight. How could she have wandered away and not noticed it? She looked at Laen. He was the only help there.  
"Laen!" she called out as she shook him. She stopped. She needed to control herself. She concentrated on releasing him from her power. He came back to reality with a gasp, as if being under her power made him breathless.  
"Where are we?" he asked rubbing his eyes. Merik didn't answer. There was no time.  
"I need your help." She said watching the Minotaur battle the army of black wolves. Laen finally caught sight of the beasts fighting.  
"Amara!" he cried out. He screamed for the others.  
"Shhhh" Merik tried to calm him down. The wolves began to look at her and Laen. Now it was time to panic. Before she could draw her sword, Amara and the others burst through into the opening. She ran over to the wolves, sword drawn. Zylien and Domrick ran after her, attacking the wolves as they caught up. Merik watched Amara and the two boys cut down the wolves one by one until they were all dead. As they died, she watched them slowly transform back into humans.  
"Werewolves!" she called out to Amara.  
"Check for cuts" Amara shouted to Zylien and Domrick. The three of them were all covered in blood; it was hard to tell whose blood it was.  
"None" Domrick said. Zylien shook his head. He looked like he was about to throw up. Amara walked over to him and hugged him. Merik caught the words,  
"You did really well" from Amara. The Minotaur was still alive but it was cowering in the corner, much like Laen.  
"Amara…" Merik said as the minotaur started to get to its feet. It growled at the three heroes closest to it.  
"Amara look out!" Lucien shouted as he ran forward. Before he reached her, the minotaur swung his arm. It collided with Amara and she went flying. She hit a tree with a crack. Something was definitely broken. Lucien ran to her, leaving the minotaur to Zylien and Domrick. They swung their swords at the beast, Zylien completely forgetting he was covered in blood. Merik couldn't just stand and watch her friends die. She drew her sword and ran into the battle, leaving Laen to cry in the corner. Domrick was the next to go flying, only because when Zylien got hit, it wasn't hard enough to send him across the forest floor. The minotaur seemed to realize he hadn't hit hard enough, because his next blow knocked Zylien out. Merik was alone with Laen's continuous sobbing. She was tired. All the adrenaline in her body had been used up. She managed to roll out of the way when the beast tried to hit her. She ran her sword through its chest and it cried out in pain. She collapsed.  
"Laen" she wheezed, "Laen get up. Get up and finish it off" Laen shook his head. She looked over to where Amara should have been, but she and Lucien had disappeared. Domrick was getting up. "Laen, you need to get up and help." Domrick picked his sword up again. He ran to the monster. The world was going dark. Merik heard a rustle in the plants next to her. Another black wolf was coming into the clearing. She tried to call out, but nothing came out. She watched Laen as he watched the wolf prepare to attack. She reached out to Domrick, but couldn't. Her eyes began to close. She fought to keep herself awake. The wolf leapt and tore into Domrick. He screamed. He screamed as Laen coward on the floor. Merik gave in. She gave into the darkness as she saw a blinding blue light fill the forest.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Madness at its Best

Amara woke up, everything sore. She opened her eyes slowly. A pale green light illuminated the room she lay in. For a second she thought she was alone, until she felt arms tighten around her. She looked at who was holding her. Lucien sat, staring at the room they were in. His hair had come out of the pony-tail he always had it in. She liked it better like this, it was more natural. She couldn't stop herself from staring at his face.  
"You're awake" he whispered, looking back to her. She smiled, still dazed.  
"Where are we?" she reached up and touched his cheek. His eyes widened. He sighed as he took her hand away from his face.  
"You may have a concussion, try not to fall asleep" he grumbled.  
"Well, what do you think you might be doing?" boomed a voice. Amara jumped. She felt a wave of magic consume her. It should have been frightening, but it was comforting. She snuggled in closer to Lucien, but realized it felt better being further away from him. She tried to push away again, but he stopped her. She felt angry he wasn't letting her go, but her common sense kicked in and told her he was there to protect her. "Sitting in my throne room, without an invitation?" The voice said. Whoever was speaking was definitely male and Scottish, with a certain kick to his voice. One that made Amara feel right at home.  
"Sorry for the intrusion. We were transported here by mistake" Lucien called out to the voice.  
"Intrusion? No, never intruding. Not when…" A figure appeared a few steps away from Amara "…she's here" he pointed at her. Another wave came over her. She shivered and took a deep breath, as if breathing deeper could make the feeling stay. She still couldn't make out the room, but this man was clear as day. He had slicked back black short hair, golden eyes with slits in them, much like a cat. He wore a royal purple shirt, swirls moving around his shirt the same colour as his eyes. It took Amara a second to realize that this man was the one from her dream the night before Nicoli died. She sat up too quickly and felt the urge to throw up. She fell back. She would have hit her head again it Lucien didn't catch her. But he was there. He was always there when she needed him, but then again, so was this mysterious man.  
"She needs to rest" Lucien said looking up at the stranger.  
"Aye, she does, but first tell me how you got in here?" he asked.  
"We were fighting… fighting a Minotaur…" Amara mumbled, her head lolling in Lucien's lap.  
"Fighting a Minotaur?" he asked and Lucien nodded, "That doesn't explain how you suddenly teleported into the Shivering Isles, now does it?" Amara groaned.  
"Please…" Amara realised she didn't know the man's name.  
"Lord Sheogorath, Prince of Madness" the man smiled and bowed, sweeping his arm out in front of him. Amara was losing consciousness again. She wasn't sure it was a good thing, but she was so tired.  
"Amara!" Lucien shook her trying to get her to stay awake. She groaned, her eyes starting to close.  
"No, no, no we can't have you dying, not this far." Her eyes were closed now, but she didn't sleep. She felt cool breath on her forehead. She opened her eyes long enough to see Sheogorath kneeling next to her, his lips dangerously close to her head. He pressed them to her forehead and a shock went through her whole body. She felt that burst of power and wanted to wrap her arms around him. She shivered and relaxed at the tough of Sheogorath kneeling beside her. She relaxed in Lucien's arms.  
"What did you do?" Lucien asked, concerned she was still injured.  
"I fixed her. She's still tired, how long has it been since she's last slept?" Sheogorath asked running the back of his hand along Amara's cheek. She smiled and she completely drifted off to sleep to the sounds of Lucien and Sheogorath speaking.

She dreamt of fire. Fire surrounding her and her companions. They were all lying at her feet, in pools of their own blood. Her weapons were missing. She found Lucien, he was coughing up blood. She ran over to him.  
"Lucien" she said as she knelt by him. She pulled him into her arms, as he had done before she slept.  
"Hey you" he wheezed. Blood was spilling out multiple wounds on his chest and stomach. Amara started to cry.  
"Don't… don't die on me" she said, tears running down her cheeks.  
"Never… would I have thought… Amara of Tamriel would cry for me" he made a noise, trying to laugh at his joke. Fire consumed Lucien, leaving her screaming as she burnt alive. Maniacal laughter filled the air as she burnt.

Amara woke up breathless. She was lying in a bed with golden silk sheets and a cream frame. She looked around. Everything in the room seemed to be some shade of yellow. Where the hell was she?  
"Mania" a voice said from the side of the bed. She looked over. Sheogorath was sitting by her side. He was wearing something different now. He was wearing a golden shirt with silver swirls and grey pants. His hair had also changed. I was almost as golden as his shirt and the room.  
"Where…" she tried to speak but her throat was dry. Sheogorath waved his hand and a goblet of water appeared- and yep you guessed it, it was golden too. She smiled and took it from him. She lifted the cup to her lips. Instead of savouring the water like a normal person, she drained it in one go. She looked back to the man beside her. "Thank you." He smiled.  
"Suppose you wondering what happened to my hair" he said running his hand over his perfectly combed back hair. Amara laughed. There were so many other important things to worry about, and here he was talking about his hair. He was as bad as Lucien when it came to staying on topic. Lucien… where was he?  
"That and where my friends are." Amara said, still smiling.  
"Friends, friends, friends" he said thinking, "Two of them are recovering, the werewolf is being very quiet, but he is ok, and your friend with the interesting eyes is sleeping. I told him he must sleep. He has been in here since you passed out" he said counting the people he mentioned on his fingers.  
"That's only four, there was another. Silver hair, purple eyes, Imperial" she described, thinking about Domrick.  
"I'm sorry, he wasn't with the rest." Sheogorath sounded sincere. It was strange hearing sincerity from a Daedric Prince. She had failed. Failed to save the Imperial, whom she'd just met, failed the Daedric Princes, and failed the man standing in front of her. " _It_ _happens_ ", she told herself, " _but not on my watch_ "  
"I suppose I should tell you about my hair" he said, reassuring her that he wasn't bothered by the loss of the hero. "You know about different realms of Oblivion that belong to each Prince, well have you ever known of one spitting into two, creating two different realms within one" Amara frowned. It was hard to comprehend what he was saying and deciphering the English from his very thick Scottish accent. "I guess not" he laughed.  
"You're realm, the Shivering Isles, is what you called it?" she asked, genuinely interested now. He nodded.  
"Home to two other realms, Mania and Dementia. Each realm is supposed to symbolize two different sides to Madness. Mania, representing over activity, euphoria, and in most cases, delusions, whereas Dementia represents personality changes, paranoia, and impaired reasoning. Never try to convince the Duchess of Dementia her people aren't plotting against her. It'll just make things worse" he laughed at the end of the explanation. Amara smiled. Just seeing her Prince laugh made her happy, not matter what was happening. Wait, what? Did she just call him her Prince?  
"And the split realm is what changes your appearance?" she asked trying to steer her thoughts in a different direction.  
"My people get annoyed when I favour one over the other, so as soon as I enter on realm, I must change. Although, between you and me, Dementia is much more comfortable especially when…" he was quiet in the beginning, but now he was shouting, "The colours are so goddamn blinding!" He yelled towards the door as if someone was listening to his complaints. The colour seemed to melt out of the room, leaving behind a dull blue-grey colour. Everything that was once yellow was now a navy blue or grey. Amara watched Sheogorath's hair change back to black, and his shirt back to the one from when they first met.  
"Are we in..?" she started to ask.  
"…Dementia? Yes" he answered. There was a knock at the door. "Come" Sheogorath said standing up. Lucien pushed the door open. Amara sat up straighter. She smiled. Lucien was wearing a crimson button up shirt, the same colour as his eyes and black pants. The shirt was undone completely, showing off his chest and stomach and his hair was out, spilling over his shoulders. Amara caught herself before she stared at him too long.  
"You're awake" he beamed at her, she smiled back.  
"So are you." He walked over to the other side of the bed and pulled her into a hug. She felt the warmth of his body against hers. She was completely lost in the feeling of his bare skin. She closed her eyes, taking in his scent. He smelled like mint and something else she couldn't put her finger on. It was his smell. A smell that couldn't be described with words, but when she smelt it, she knew it was him. She pulled away slowly and reluctantly, when she remembered Sheogorath was in the room.  
"There's no doubt you'll want food, maybe look around my cities…" Sheogorath said walking to the door. "Come out when you're ready, dinner will be served, by the time we meet again." He turned to leave again.  
"Lord Sheogorath…" Amara said. He stopped and turned back, "Thank you." He smiled and left the room, closing the door behind him. Amara gave Lucien all her attention. There were so many things to ask. "How are the others?" she asked. She already knew Domrick hadn't survived, but she wanted to know about the others. No matter how nice Sheogorath was, he was still a Daedric Prince who didn't care much for humans.  
"Merik and Zylien are almost completely healed, they'll be at dinner. Laen… Laen is fine, feeling the weight of guilt and loss, but otherwise ok" he smiled. He knew she knew about Domrick. He knew because that would have been the first thing she would have asked Sheogorath. Not, where she was nor was she going to be ok, but where her friends were.  
"I'm glad you're here, Lucien" she pulled the man into another hug, burying her face in his neck.

She had already told herself she wasn't going to cry, especially not over someone she had just met. When she pulled away, Lucien kissed her on the forehead, letting her know it's going to be alright. She wasn't a child. She knew it wasn't alright. She knew the world was coming to an end as she sat in silken sheets, healing. She appreciated the gesture, but nothing was alright.  
"The others. I want to see them" she said, getting out of the bed. She only just realized she wasn't wearing her armour. She was wearing a navy blue dress with a golden sash around her waist. She looked into the mirror, which was to the left of her. Her eyes were more vibrant than he had ever seen them. They glittered in the light. She saw Lucien sidled up beside her.  
"Shall we go?" he asked holding out his arm for her to hold. She wouldn't usually hold a man's arm, she was perfectly capable of walking by herself, but she knew Lucien knew that too. He just wanted to be a gentleman. She took his arm and walked out of the room. They walked in a hallway, lit by torched with green-blue fire burning in them. She was grateful for the dullness of Dementia. The bright colours would have made her sick. They turned a corner. The hallway opened up into a Great Hall. It was as big as Namira's had been, but less terrifying. At the very end of the room there was a giant tree. A throne sat, imbedded in the tree, as if it had been carved out of the tree itself. On the right side, the side Amara and Lucien were on; the floor was carpeted navy blue, with blue-green flames illuminating their half of the room. The other side was carpeted red, with yellow flame. The colours of the light sources never mixed or clashed. It was as if there was a wall between them, stopping the light from spreading further.  
"Come, sit" Sheogorath called out. He was sitting at the head of a wooden table directly in the middle of the room. Amara wanted to sit with him. She felt better just seeing him again. He looked the same as he had when he left. His cat-like eyes followed Amara as she and Lucien made their way to the table. Amara took her seat, closest to the end of the table, closest to Sheogorath. Lucien sat next to her. Zylien, Merik, and Laen were already sitting at the table. Zylien sat next to Lucien, Merik across from him and Laen across from Amara.  
"Amara!" Zylien said, grinning at her. Merik smiled, but she wasn't as happy as he was. She was grieving, Amara understood that.  
"Hey Zylien, Merik." She looked at Laen. He didn't acknowledge she was even there. "Hey Laen" he looked up, but wouldn't look her in the eye. She sighed and someone put their hand on hers. She looked over to Sheogorath. His hand was sitting on hers, he squeezed it slightly, telling her it was alright. She wished people would stop trying to tell her it was going to be alright.  
"Lord Sheogorath, not that we don't appreciate what you've done for us, but we have to get back. I need to do my quest and save Tamriel" she said taking her hand away from his. It was time for business. She scanned the table, all four faces that were willing to follow her to the Deadlands, until she reached an empty chair. She hated that it was empty, hated that she failed.  
"Your quest" Sheogorath sounded sad, as if the last thing he wanted to talk about was her quest.  
"We're running out of time, My Lord" she pleaded. She couldn't fail again.  
"Time?" his eyes widened and he grinned. For a moment she saw a glimpse of the insanity that he had buried away inside of him. She recoiled. He didn't seem to notice her reaction, "why, m'dear, there is no such thing in the Shivering Isles" he giggled.  
"What is he jabbering about?" Laen piped up. Every pair of eyes looked at the werewolf.  
"It is not wise to offend me, child" Sheogorath hissed. The pupils in his eyes thinned, like a cat's when they had been threatened.  
"I'm not a child!" Laen yelled as he stood up, knocking over a cup, "and if time doesn't exist here, why not stay here? Why not leave the world and come back when we're ready? We're obviously not ready. Look what happened to Domrick"  
"You're right, Laen. You aren't a child, you're a coward. A coward who couldn't protect his friend in a life or death situation. I wouldn't choose to have you at my back; in fact I wouldn't choose to have you in my team if it wasn't for the Daedric Princes" Amara said glaring at the werewolf. He looked like he was going to cry. She knew he was fond of her, but he needed to hear the truth.  
"Are you blaming me for the death of Domrick?" he asked shakily. Amara sighed. She didn't know what happened after she was knocked out. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Merik.  
"No, she isn't, but I am" she said standing up next to Laen. She was taller than him, which made it easy to intimidate him.  
"How could you?! How could you blame me for what happened?!" he yelled at her. Zylien was about to jump in to defend Merik, but she stopped him with a gesture.  
"I can blame you, Laen, because I watched you. I watched you stand there while Domrick was torn apart by the werewolf. I watched as you hid, because you couldn't kill your own kind, even if it was from the Oblivion Gate to the Deadlands itself." She hissed. Amara watched, proud that Merik was able to stand up for herself. Laen looked back to Amara. He looked at her like a child who had been heart broken by their crush, which, she guessed, was a pretty good description of what he was feeling. Merik may have said the words, but Amara didn't stick up for him, and that's what would have hurt the most. He stormed off, to the side that led to Mania. Merik sat back down. The entire table was silent.  
"We stay until I complete my quest, then we must leave" Amara finally said, breaking the silence. They all nodded, except for Sheogorath.  
"Before I tell you about your… quest, I want to ask you all something" Sheogorath said completely serious. "Why were the five of you chosen to complete this quest?" he asked. Amara looked around the table. They were all different. No similarities that she could see or that she knew of.  
"I wasn't chosen. I just tagged along" Lucien said. Sheogorath smiled, showing of his perfectly white teeth.  
"Of course you were chosen m'boy. That's why you've been allowed to continue with the other heroes." Sheogorath explained.  
"What do we have in common?" this came from Zylien.  
"We're all orphans" Lucien said making the table go quiet again.  
"No one will miss you if you don't come back" Sheogorath stopped smiling. He was looking at Amara. She thought about the comment. Was he right? Would no one miss them if they failed?  
"My parents died when I was little. They died from a disease, I never knew they were even sick till it happened" Merik said bringing her cup up to her lips, but not drinking anything.  
"M-my m-mother died in ch-childbirth when she h-had my brother" Zylien said quietly, but his emotions seemed to scream out over the table. His stutter was back. Amara sighed. She was about to share when Zylien spoke again. "I murdered my father. He was a danger to my brother." He was more confident, as if he had finally made peace with the fact he murdered one of the people that gave him life. "My brother thinks I'm dead, s-so I suppose, if it does happen he won't miss me more than he already does." He said. Amara saw a tear trickle down his purple-blue skin. Lucien put a hand on his back. She just realized she didn't know anything about anyone at the table. Didn't know their story and they didn't know hers, and yet they followed her as if they trusted her with their lives. She didn't want to share. Now that it came to her, she didn't want to share and it was written all over her face. As soon as Lucien saw the look on her face, he spoke.  
"I was abandoned. Left out in the cold of Solitude in Skyrim and it wasn't like I didn't know my parents. They left me when I was five. I remember their faces as they left me, no remorse whatsoever, their voices as they called me unwanted. I sat in the snow, waiting day and night in the cold for them to come back and take me away. I remember crying as the night came after every day. I was taken in by the Dark Brotherhood. Given a home." He didn't cry. He just sat, blank faced. Amara held his hand under the table. Merik looked at her, waiting for her story. She took a shaky breath in, preparing herself for what she was about to say.  
"I knew as a child my mother didn't love my father. I knew she didn't love me. She was angry all the time, but one day she just snapped. She had almost killed me when my father stepped in. He was a coward, but I always admired him for stepping up when he needed to. I don't remember what he said to her but she was gone the next day" Amara didn't want to cry. She didn't want to feel anything. If she cried, she wouldn't stop. "My father was bitten by a werewolf the day after my mother left and as he shifted at sundown he went crazy. I-I had never seen a werewolf react like that. That's when I first used magic. I used magic…no… I hid behind my magic. I hid behind my fire as he attacked me. I was only ten. Only ten… and I saw for the first time what it was like to burn someone alive. What it was like to smell the burning flesh of my father…" She couldn't hold it anymore. She cried. She cried until she couldn't feel anything. Until she was breathless. It was the first time she cried in front of people. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was tired. Not physically, but mentally. Zylien was hugging her. She didn't even remember him coming over to her. "Lord Sheogorath. I need this quest. I need something that'll make people remember me" she said as Zylien stopped hugging her. He nodded.  
"I cannot make this better than it is, unfortunately" he started and Amara raised her eyebrow. "I…I lost my cane." There was stunned silence around the table. Amara laughed.  
"Sorry" she tried to apologize, but laughed even more. They all joined in the laughter. It was something small to laugh about, but it was what they needed to lighten the mood. Sheogorath smiled, as if he knew that it's all it would take to cheer her up.  
"It's a special cane" Sheogorath said smiling, "It's my favourite." Amara stopped laughing.  
"So we have to find your cane?" she asked smiling.  
"Wabbajack" Amara raised her eyebrow again.  
"What?"  
"Wabbajack, that's its name" he grinned and Amara fought the urge to laugh again.  
"Ok, so we find… Wabbajack… and what? Bring it back?" she asked. It can't be that simple. Her question seemed to make Sheogorath lose his sense of humour.  
"Something like that" he said. None of them had eaten, but she didn't seem to be hungry anymore. Being around the Prince of Madness, made her feel better, like having a cool wind brush against her face in the heat of summer, or a warm blanket in the chill of winter. Just as she thought she wasn't hungry, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over at Lucien. She smiled at her.  
"Cheese?" he offered her a cheese wheel. There was the Lucien she met, always offering cheese. She smiled and took the cheese from him, kissing him on the cheek.  
"Cheese? YES! Cheese for everyone!" Sheogorath cheered. There was something wrong. His hair began to turn grey. Their surroundings were losing their colour. A scorching wind made Amara choke on the air surrounding her. She clawed her throat, trying to get her breath back.  
"What's going on?" Merik asked as everything was turning grey. Lucien grabbed Amara's arm.  
"Something's wrong with Amara" he yelled. Zylien was close by. Amara felt hot. She looked around. She could still hear everyone around her but her surroundings had changes. She was standing on a rock, surrounded by fire, just like her dream. Just as she felt the fire lick her skin she felt an ice cold jolt bring her back to the room they were in. Zylien stood in front of her, his hands on her shoulders.  
"No time… no time, to say goodbye to Wabbajack…" Sheogorath mumbled. The torches holding the coloured flames crystallized. "Haskil!" the Daedric Prince yelled. A man appeared out of purple smoke. He was middle-aged, his head balding. He stood straight, towering over Amara. Amara suddenly felt cold, as if she could feel the life draining from the room, it felt more comfortable than the scorching winds and fire.  
"Yes, your highness" he said in a very posh voice.  
"It's happening again…" Sheogorath said softly. He looked at Amara. She saw the fear in his eyes. How scared he was of what was about to happen and she couldn't help.  
"There is no time, Hero of the Isles" Haskil said to Amara, "Wabbajack is lost, it would take weeks to find, and he doesn't have that time"  
"I thought he said time didn't exist in the Shivering Isles" Zylien said staring at Sheogorath, as the colour drained from the man's outfit.  
"Madness has no time, but Sheogorath's counterpart, Order, does. It's coming for him and only his hero can stop Jyggalag, Prince of Order, from destroying Mania and Dementia" Haskil explained. Amara couldn't move. It was like she was frozen to the spot. She remembered the crystalloid figure in her dreams; the one that had killed Sheogorath.  
"What can I do?" she asked. She needed to stop what had happened in her dreams. She was going to save him.  
"Go to the Duke of Mania and Duchess of Dementia. They'll give you something to help with our… issue" he said looking at the Prince of Madness squirm in his chair. Amara nodded. She gestured to the other three heroes to follow her. She went to the side of Dementia first.  
""The Greymarch comes, and Jyggalag walks. Or runs. Never skips, sidles, or struts. Mostly, he just destroys everything around him."4 Amara stopped. It pained her to hear Sheogorath speak such madness, but after all, he was the Prince of Madness itself.  
"He'll be fine" Lucien whispered.  
"Ta! Come visit again, or I'll pluck out your eyes!"5 he called out as Amara and the others left the Great Hall. They found themselves in another throne room, completely coloured in blues and dull greens.  
"Isn't this cheerful" Lucien said looking at the walls. Amara followed his gaze to the walls. There were skeletons strung up on the walls. Amara looked closer and found tiny bits of rotting flesh still stuck to the bone. She shrugged it off, but Zylien had to look away. It was nice to see not everything had changed, even if it meant he was still squeamish about these kinds of things.  
"Something, I'm not sure what, makes me want to leave" Zylien said sarcastically.  
"I know right? But I just can't pick it" Merik joined in. Amara stared at the wide eyed.  
"Were you two being… sarcastic?" she asked, stunned that they actually had the ability to use sarcasm. They laughed.  
"Who laughs at the Que…Duchess of Dementia?" came a female's voice from the throne. Amara walked closer to where she heard the voice. A woman in a navy puffed up dress sat, glaring at the four of them.  
"I'm Amara, Hero of Morrowind, Fighter for the Isles, Chosen Hero of Sheogorath- Prince of Madness, and Silencer of the Dark Brotherhood" she said and as soon as she did, she regretted the last title.  
"Murderer!" the Duchess called out, "You've come to assassinate me. Dark Seducers, arrest these murderers" she practically screamed. Six guards, or Dark Seducers- as she called them, hurried in to her side. They were all women with azure armour, covering their chests and legs, leaving their midriff open. Amara thought their armour choice was counter proactive, since it didn't cover much, but she didn't share her thought with the rest of her group. They all looked identical, the same pointed ears, dark blue skin, and black long hair.  
"We aren't here to kill you, Duchess…" Amara said, dropping to her knees.  
"Syl! Duchess Syl. You should know a person's name before you come to murder them" she hissed. There was something about this woman that terrified her, although it could just be the skeletons decorating her walls  
"Duchess Syl, we did not come here to murder you or your guards. We ask for assistance. Lord Sheogorath, needs us" Amara pleaded. They were running out of time.  
"Very well, if our Lord is in need of help, we shall help him." She said. Amara let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.  
"Haskil said you might have something to defeat Order" Lucien said standing up. Amara hadn't noticed her companions where kneeling as well.  
"I own the only other known object that can kill the Daedric Prince of Order, Jyggalag, other than Wabbajack. It is not as powerful as Wabbajack, but will do the trick." She didn't smile, but Amara could feel that the Duchess was happy to help. Syl pulled out a golden sword. Its handle was a disfigured screaming face with hollowed out eyes. Lovely.  
"Thank you Lady Syl, we will not forget this kindness" Lucien bowed. Amara, Zylien, and Merik got off the ground and bowed as well. They ran. They ran for the entrance to Mania as fast as they could. Amara tripped over her dress. She sighed.  
"We do not have time for this" she hissed to herself. She raised both fists, clenched, into the air. Her hands started to glow green. She opened them and green blinding light filled the room. When she looked down she was wearing the same armour as the Dark Seducers.  
"Stylish" Lucien winked at her. She blushed.  
"No time for flirting you two. We have a Prince to save" Merik said as she and Zylien waited at the entrance to Mania. Amara and Lucien ran to catch up to the other two. A thought ran through Amara's head. Laen didn't know about Jyggalag.  
"Merik, you and Lucien go find Laen and tell him what's going on. If he doesn't want to fight, make sure he's safe." Amara said and Merik nodded. She and Lucien ran back into Dementia.  
"Come on Amara" Zylien said as he opened the door. Everything was yellow. That's the only word she could use to describe it. Yellow.  
"Gods, it's hideous" Amara grimaced at the brightly coloured walls. Zylien laughed as they ran through the hall way. The found the throne room of Mania. Again, it was a replica of Sheogorath's Great Hall. She wondered if they knew their rooms looked exactly the same. She shrugged the thought off as they approached the throne. A man wearing a golden silk shirt and a blue waist coat sat, legs crossed.  
"Well hello there. Who might you be? I love visitors, but not when they stay. When they stay, my socks go missing. Only the right ones though…never left…" the man said in a high pitched voice.  
"Oh my gods" Amara said rubbing her temples. She didn't have time for an over caffeinated Duke.  
"My Lord, might we ask of some assistance?" Zylien said stepping forward. Thank the Gods Zylien was more patient than she was.  
"Assistance? Absolutely. Love helping people. You know, my uncle helped talk a man onto the ledge of a building, heroic man that one…" Amara sighed. She looked at Zylien who was smiling.  
"Right yes, sorry" his smile got even bigger, "My Lord? Jyggalag in on his way, we need your help. Haskil said you have an object for us that will help defeat him" he called out to the Lord of ADHD. Whoops, she meant Mania.  
"Right yes. Object, object, object. Can't be too careful, might come across something useful" Amara stared open mouthed at the Duke of Mania. "Ahhhhhh, here it is" he giggled, pulling an amulet out of nowhere. He whistled and two guards came running. They looked exactly like the Dark Seducers, except these ones were slightly yellow with golden armour and white hair. So they were exactly the same, but the complete opposite. Does that make sense? Amara had spent way too much time in the Shivering Isles for comfort. "You, Golden Saint, give this to the Dunmer… the one with the antlers… yes that one." He said.  
"Yes, Lord Thadon" said both of the 'Golden Saints' at the same time. Golden saints, Dark Seducers, what next Knights of Order? As if on cue, crystalloid men came marching into the throne room. Each step they took echoed through the room.  
"Knights of Order, Run!" screeched Thadon. Amara sighed. She drew her sword. Zylien slipped the amulet around his neck and drew his as well. "Prince Jyggalag has returned. Lord Sheogorath will fall" the Knights chanted all at once. It was creepier than what the Golden Saints had done. As the Knights got closer, giant crystal formations sprung out of the ground.  
"We have to get back to Sheogorath" Amara said. Zylien nodded.  
"I'll hold them off, you find your Prince" he said concentrating on the approaching Knights.  
"I can't leave you here! I've already lost Domrick, I can't lose you too" Amara would not leave Zylien to die.  
"Go now, Amara, go" he ordered. It wasn't often Zylien ordered Amara around. She huffed and ran for the Entrance to the Great Hall. She made it and Sheogorath was sitting in his throne. His hair was white, his eyes a dull grey, along with his shirt and the rest of the room.  
"Back so soon are we? Suppose there wasn't anywhere else you could've gone. Did you hear about the time I made it rain burning dogs? Not a story for today, but maybe…" He mumbled the rest of what he was saying. Amara approached him carefully, not wanting to spook him. She watched his tired eyes. Even though he looked the same age as her, handsome, young, happy, his eyes told her different. They had seen thousands of years of pain. She stood in front of him.  
"What would I do without you?" she asked, not expecting a reply. She bent down and kissed him gently. He grabbed her hand and she pulled away suddenly. His eyes were golden, his hair black as midnight, and his shirt back to the vibrant purple it was before.  
"I think, perhaps, you might have been the only mortal I would have given up everything for" he whispered, "You've been and will be my champion. I know you'll do what is necessary. That's what I love about you" he said and he let go of her hand. He flopped back on his throne. Amara backed away as Sheogorath started to convulse. There was nothing she could do for him. She shut her eyes as he started screaming. She didn't want to see. She didn't know what was happening but she didn't want to see.  
"I hope you said your goodbyes, Mortal" a voice ripped through the air. Amara opened her eyes slowly. Her surroundings were covered in crystal and giant obelisks surrounded them. The beast in front looked exactly the same as it had from her nightmare. Skin matching the crystal formations surrounding them, helm of a king in battle, spikes, with silver heads mounted on each one, armour the same consistency as its skin.  
"Jyggalag" Amara hissed.  
"My counterpart was fond of you. Imagine that, a Daedric Prince in love with a mortal" it laughed. It sounded like metal being scraped across an anvil. Amara covered her ears. It stopped laughing and Amara grimaced as she backed away from the beast that called itself Jyggalag.  
"Amara!" she heard Lucien call out. She looked over to the entrance of Dementia, where he stood with Merik and Laen. He was holding the sword Syl had given them.  
"Throw it!" she called back. Lucien nodded. He threw it over the crystal obelisks. Amara caught it with both hands. It was lighter than she thought. "Go help Zylien, he's in Mania!" she shouted back, not taking her eyes off Jyggalag.  
"You are going to fight me blade to blade mortal?" Jyggalag asked. Amara smiled. "Why are you smiling? I have not said anything amusing"  
"You've taken the home of my Prince…" she swung at Jyggalag, hitting him on the chest. As she did, more spikes grew out of his armour. "Forced him out of his own body…" she blocked a hit from the beast, "…and now you threaten my friends?" she blasted Jyggalag with fire. He started glowing red and fire spilled out of his hands. No matter what she hit him with, nothing seemed to be working. Everything that she hit him with, he just absorbed. If this sword doesn't work she was going to have a serious talk with Lady Syl. She had an idea. "I'm smiling because you have nothing else to do, but die." She focused hard on the end of her sword. She dug down deep inside her where she felt her connection to Sheogorath. With a flash she lit the end of her sword on fire with green flame and ran it through the Daedric Prince. The flame was so bright it blinded her. Jyggalag cried out, making Amara cover her ears once more. The room seemed to shake as the obelisks buried themselves beneath the earth, from whence they came. She watched as the colour seeped back into the room, starting with Mania and finishing at Dementia. She smiled, looking around at the Great Hall. She smiled, until her eyes settled on the body just in front of the throne. Sheogorath lay, eyes closed, every hair in place, in front of his own throne. Amara dropped the sword and ran over to him. Tears began to flow down her cheeks.  
"Sheogorath, don't you leave me" she said cradling his body in her arms. He opened his eyes slowly and Amara smiled and wiped away her tears. "See, there we go, we'll get you some food while you rest and then you'll be ok. Right…Please…" she whispered. Sheogorath managed a smile.  
"I knew you'd do it" he said as he reached up and touched her cheek. No, no, no. Daedric Princes can't die…  
"Don't leave me" she felt him fading. She couldn't explain how, but she knew he was dying. "I can heal you…" she suggested. She laid her hand on his chest and closed her eyes. She pictured his wounds healing, him getting up and smiling with the same look in his eye she remembered from when he healed her. But he had no wounds to heal. No physical wounds. "W-why isn't it working?" she said opening her eyes. Sheogorath smiled at her.  
"I wanted to be there, you know, for the big fight with Mehrunes Dagon, but it's not fair. I could do so much more, but here I am" he said. His voice was strained now.  
"Don't…stop it. You're saying goodbye, don't say goodbye" Amara said holding him tighter.  
"It's gone on for too long now, the Greymarch, Jyggalag's walk, whatever. You did the right thing Amara" he wheezed. Tears fell from Amara's face onto Sheogorath, but neither she nor her Prince seemed to mind. She felt the comfort and warmth seep out of her body.  
"What can I do? Just…just tell me what I can do" she said hugging him, trying to get that warmth back. She knew, somewhere inside of her, there was nothing she could do, but she couldn't just let him go.  
"Smile for me. Amara, hero of the Isles, smile for your Prince" he said touching her lips. She managed a sad smile, but couldn't give him anymore.  
"How can I smile?" she asked touching her forehead to his.  
"Don't you worry…I'll remember it…" he whispered. Amara felt him stop breathing, but he didn't lift her head off of his. She reached for the connection between them one last time, but found nothing. It was a black hole. It felt as if part of her had died along with her Prince. She sat, cradling his body, crying soundlessly.  
"Amara?!" she heard Zylien call out but she didn't move or answer.  
"Amara, where are you?" Lucien called out. She heard rushed footsteps as her companions ran into the Sheogorath's throne room and then they stopped. Everything stopped. Amara's crying…her companion's voices…everything. She lifted her head. Lucien was standing over her, blood splattered over his face and chest.  
"I can't leave him" she shook as she looked from Lucien back to Sheogorath's lifeless body.  
"Ok, we'll move him, but I need you to get up with me" he said. He bent over to help her up, but she wouldn't move.  
"I can't leave him!" she cried out as Lucien tried to peel her from the dead Prince. She held on to Sheogorath. She didn't believe he was dead. How could he be? Daedric Princes were almost Gods; they didn't just fall like mortals.  
"Amara, listen to me, you can't allow this to break you" Lucien said kneeling beside her. She looked at him. His eyes were as crimson as the blood on his face. She wasn't sure how much of it was his, but from the still bleeding cut on his eyebrow, she knew it was mostly his. Once it healed, she knew it would scar. "Use this pain Amara, use it to get back up and fight." He said as he took her hand. She let him peel her off Sheogorath. Once she was away from her Prince, she collapsed in Lucien's arms. He ran his hand down her hair, soothing her as Zylien came over. The Dark Elf picked up the Daedric Prince. Amara pushed herself away from Lucien. He was right, this didn't change anything. She stood up, slowly, making sure she was balanced.  
"We burn him at dawn" she said and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke. She didn't need comforting. She didn't want comforting. She re-appeared in the bedroom she first woke up in. There was still hours before dawn and she needed to sleep. She needed to sleep but she couldn't. She sat on the bed, too exhausted to cry, emotionless, staring at the wall.

Dawn came and went. Sheogorath; Prince of Madness was no more. Amara stared at the body of a man who could have been enough for her burning with the green fire she had conjured. The man she could have loved and have been loved in return by lay motionless in front of her. The man who had literally and metaphysically called her to him, and for what? To fulfil her destiny? She cried no more tears for her fallen Prince. It was as if his death flipped a switch at the back of her mind, making the part of her that feels emotion void and empty. She left her friends to deal with the funeral. She would not stand and watch him burn. Haskil let her keep the armour and promised they would meet again. She and the other heroes met, without a word, outside the Great Hall. The sky, even though it was day time, was filled with stars. The sky was purple with yellow swirls ripping through it. It was as if the Shivering Isles knew its leader had fallen. And who knew… it might have.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Pyrophobia

Lucien was conflicted. Sheogorath told them that he had been chosen alongside the other heroes to fight in the battle against Mehrunes Dagon, but he hadn't been chosen by a Prince. He felt the weight of the world as if he had just realized it was there and he felt the heat of the Gate, but he couldn't hurry the heroes along without being insensitive. Everyone was outside, except Amara. She had disappeared since they were with Sheogorath. Lucien looked at each of the companions. Zylien had cuts all over him, his armour stained with blood, and somewhere in the struggle, he'd lost his antler helmet. Merik was pale, her eyes watery and red. Her armour was untouched. The golden lion in the middle of it was shining in the sunlight. Laen had new armour. It was steel, coloured pale blue, with black wolves running up the arms and one howling on his chest. His helmet was a wolf's head, the same colour as his armour. Lucien looked at his own clothes. His red shirt was darkened with his blood and ripped. Before he could complain about his lack of armour, Amara stepped out of Dementia's Great Hall. She wore the Dark Seducer's armour, but it was patterned like Sheogorath's shirt. She had bloodshot eyes and pasty skin. Lucien walked slowly up to her. He held out his hand, reaching up to her face. She pulled away and walked past him. He sighed.  
"Haskil said Namira wants to see us again" Amara said softly. Lucien knew Amara had already been to Nox but from the look on both her face and Merik's face, he could tell they were afraid of going there.  
"Is there any way Laen, Lucien and I can go?" Zylien asked picking up on the tension.  
"No, we go as a group, or not at all" Merik said, "I won't be left behind." Lucien turned and sneered at the Altmer. He was about to say something when Laen spoke.  
"This isn't about you Merik. We know you were found there, but do you have any idea what Amara had to go through to get you? Do you have any idea what she's going through now?" He was yelling now. Amara stared at the ground in front of her, not completely 'with' the rest of the heroes. Lucien looked at Amara. None of them really knew what Amara had to go through to get Merik, but it had changed her. Not dramatically and not enough that Lucien noticed before.  
"I get it Laen. I understand Amara had to go through getting over her biggest fear, but so did I." Merik got up in the boy's face.  
"Enough" Amara said, before anyone started yelling again. They both went silent.  
"It's your call Amara" Zylien said putting his hand on her back.  
"We go see Namira, find out what she wants, and stop Mehrunes Dagon" she said and walked away. Lucien watched her walk to the large silver gate that separated Sheogorath's palace from the wilderness of the Shivering Isles.

The wildlife in the Shivering Isles was different to anything Lucien had ever seen. There were eagles as large as small horses sitting in trees that surrounded them; coloured with blues, pinks, and purples, shining as the light caught their feathers. Their heads followed the heroes as they walked through the forest. Lucien tore his eyes from the birds only to find himself staring at what looked like children, sitting on the forest floor. There were three of them. All of them looked no older than six. They were beautiful; their skin whiter than snow, eyes silver like the moon, ears pointed, more so than Zylien or Merik's. Two of them were girls, both with long pale blonde hair. The boy's hair was the same colour but cut shorter.  
"Zylien, are you seeing them too?" Lucien whispered, not sure if the children were a trick of the mind or if they were really there.  
"Yeah, I see them" Zylien was watching the children too.  
"They're fairies. They're beautiful aren't they? We're too close to the castle to see them, but there are others, with brown skin and golden eyes" Merik said appearing beside Lucien. She was smiling. Before Lucien could ask how she knew what they were, one of the "fairies" collapsed. They began losing their colour, skin and hair darkening, its eyes going black. Merik gasped as the other two fairies, the two girls, shrieked. Zylien held Merik so she couldn't run over. Lucien looked around. The forest was dying around them.  
"I thought Jyggalag was dead" Laen said sidling up to Lucien, so he wasn't alone. He had a point.  
"He is. I made sure of it" Amara said staring at the crying fairies cradling their fallen brother.  
"What's happening?" Zylien said hugging Merik. Amara didn't answer. She walked over to the boy. No matter how many times Lucien heard the word fairy, he still saw a child. They could be older than he was and he would still see them as babies. He watched Amara kneel beside the boy. She hushed the crying girls and whispered something to the boy. She laid her hand on his chest and a soft green light came out of her hand. It illuminated the boy's skin. Lucien thought, whatever she was trying to do, hadn't worked, but as the light faded, the fairy's skin started to lighten. It, he, woke up gasping for air. Amara didn't wait for a thank you, nor did she come back to explain what had just happened, she just got up and continued walking.  
"Haskil said the portal is just up here" she called back. Zylien led Merik away from the fairies and Laen ran along beside them. Lucien just stared at the little boy.  
"Lucien?" Zylien called out, "Are you coming?" He followed Zylien, reluctantly. Amara was keeping something, or a whole lot of somethings, from him. They walked in silence until a portal barely big enough to fit one person at a time stood in the middle to the pathway. Amara burst out laughing. Merik was so surprised at the sound of Amara laughing she almost fell over, if Zylien hadn't still been holding her, she would have.  
"Amara, are you ok?" Lucien asked, laying his hand on her shoulder. She nodded and calmed down.  
"It would be just like Sheogorath to make leaving this place harder than it should be" she smiled at the purple flaming portal.  
"Who's going to go first?" Zylien asked. They all knew that on the other side of the portal was Nox, home of the Prince of Darkness herself. Merik and Amara had already been victims of the Daedric Prince and Lucien didn't like the idea of Namira getting her hands on Amara again.  
"I'll go first" he said watching the girls. Amara was still staring down at the portal, blank faced now, but Merik was terrified. "I go first, Laen follows, then Amara and Merik. Zylien, you bring up the rear. We don't want anything following us through. I trust you" Zylien nodded. Lucien really didn't want to go through, but if he wasn't in lead, Amara would go and be there alone before the rest of them came through. He dropped to his knees and shuffled towards the flaming portal. He cursed softly as he pushed himself through. He expected it to burn him as he went through, but the fire was cold. He shivered as he made it out the other side. The air was thin and icy. Lucien coughed as he got to his feet. The room was dark and the only light was a faint red glow starting on either side of the room and leading up to a throne made of bones. The glow was coming from fire pits filled to the brim with flaming bones. Lucien was oddly calm staring at the room that would have terrified anyone else. Even though he felt calm, he shivered. Something was trying to push fear into him. He felt it wash over him like water, but it had no effect. He heard someone cry out behind him. He turned around quickly and found Laen standing, wide eyed, and staring at the room. Lucien pulled him closer. Amara came through next, just as he had said before he left. She didn't scream or even react to the room. Lucien remembered she had been here before, in this exact same room, alone. She didn't say a word. She just took Laen away from Lucien and hugged him like a parent hugging their scared child. Lucien looked at Laen. The boy was only thirteen, barley a teenager. He sighed, wanting to hit himself. Of course he was scared. Of course he couldn't save Domrick, he was only a baby compared to the rest of them. He could see it now, in Amara's eyes that she had looked past how old he really was, and only now realized in full how old he was. Merik appeared next scowling at the room.  
"Home sweet home" she grumbled as she went to stand next to Lucien. Zylien came through. He was quicker than the rest had been, but no one wants to be alone in the realm of madness. Lucien shivered as another wave of fear washed over the group. Laen was silent, shaking, in Amara's arms. She was whispering comforting things to him. Merik looked uncomfortable and Zylien looked like he was going to throw up. He hadn't thrown up since Amara had been taken here the first time. Lucien was sick of this.  
"Namira, we are here because you have asked for us, not by choice. Show yourself, and let us go" Lucien yelled into the shadows. A woman appeared. She was wearing a black dress and a veil, hiding her face.  
"I understand you're impatient" she said, her voice sounding strangely normal. Amara stopped hugging Laen, but held his hand.  
"Impatient? Impatient!?" Amara hissed, "We are here for you, not the other way around. Don't you see what you're doing to my friends? Did you just come here to torment us?" she yelled. Lucien took her other hand in his and she let him. Namira sighed. The fear she spread around disappeared.  
"I ask for a hero and Azura steals her from me, I ask the Gods for another and you fail in saving him, I ask my brother to help you in the final battle, because I cannot, and you fail in saving him as well. What am I supposed to do?" she said. Lucien felt Amara's hand tighten on his.  
"Are you blaming me for Sheogorath's death?" she growled. She let go of Laen and Lucien. He stepped back, giving her room.  
"You failed to save him" Namira whispered back. Lucien thought the Prince was genuinely upset her brother had died, until he saw her smile. Amara looked at the floor. Lucien moved forward again, trying to comfort her. He touched her shoulder but pulled back when he heard her laugh. Amara smiled, as she looked up at the Prince, but her smile wasn't genuine or happy. It was evil. Her eyes were golden and feline, like Sheogorath's had been. Her smile turned into a baring of teeth. Namira stepped back.  
"Sheogorath what have you done?" she asked herself.  
"No more games, Namira, your games are no fun" Amara said. Namira nodded. Lucien couldn't see the Prince's face under the veil, but he knew she was scared now. Laen held Amara's hand again and as soon as they touched her eyes turned back to her own.  
"I should kill you right now, Hero of Heroes, but I want glory. I want to be feared by other Princes, and the only way of doing that is by having a hero" Namira snarled. Lucien kept his eyes on Namira, but he heard Zylien and Merik walk around to Amara. "Since your Prince died, I will claim you" she said and before Lucien could move, Namira grabbed Amara. She convulsed under the Prince's touch. "Do not fight my power hero" Namira hissed, trying to get Amara still. She let go and Amara fell to the ground. She coughed until blood decorated the floor in front of her.  
"Amara!" Lucien yelled running over to her. He didn't touch her, for fear of making it worse. "Stop, Namira, stop or I will kill you myself!" he roared at the Prince. Amara stopped coughing.  
"You dare challenge me?" She hurled Lucien across the room. He heard the crack of bones breaking inside of him. He wheezed as he fell to the floor. He looked over to Amara kneeing beside her own blood. He got to his feet, pushing past the pain. He pictured himself melting into the shadows, disappearing from sight. The dark was comforting as it wrapped around him. He saw things clearer as he moved through the darkness, towards the Prince herself. He saw straight through her veil. She was the embodiment of fear. Under her veil was a monster with rotting flesh and burns, as if someone had tried to set her on fire. He almost fell over as he stalked towards her. He swallowed his fear, gripping the hilt of his dagger. He drew the weapon, positioned himself behind her, and stepped back into the light. He pressed the blade against her back.  
"I know what you look like and I know what you fear" he whispered just loud enough so she could hear him. "I will not kill you today, but you will not take Amara"  
"I need a hero, or I will be disgraced" Namira said, standing very still.  
"Then take me" Lucien's blade melted into the shadows and he walked around to step in front of Amara.  
"You would offer yourself to me in her place?" Namira asked, gesturing at Amara, who was still on the floor.  
"I would go to hell and back, just so she wouldn't have to" he said quietly.  
"Very well." He felt a bony hand on his shoulder as he closed him eyes. He didn't pull away or cry out at the touch of her hand. He felt the comfort of the shadows that surrounded him. He felt Amara's hand in his. He opened his eyes. Namira was gone and so was the throne room they had walked into. They were standing at the entrance of a village. Lucien turned around, trying to get a better look at where they had appeared. A stone bridge was behind them. It was long, with stone pillars and arches every ten steps. On the other side of the bridge was the Imperial City.  
"Breton?" a voice called out from behind Lucien. He helped Amara to his feet, ignoring the voice. "Breton!" the voice was louder now. Amara looked over.  
"Baurus?" she said, a smile lit her face. An Imperial with dark skin walked over to the group. Zylien drew his sword and stepped in front.  
"Put your blade away boy, I'm not here to hurt you" the man, Amara called Baurus, said.  
"Baurus is a friend. I haven't seen you since we stayed with Nicoli" she said with a big grin on her face. Baurus smiled at her. They hugged.  
"So, Amara, are these the heroes you rescued?" he asked looking at each hero. Amara nodded.  
"The big guy with the sword is Zylien" she said and Zylien stood up straighter, "The boy is Laen, the Altmer with the brown hair is Merik and this…" she gestured at Lucien, "…this is Lucien Lachance." Lucien smiled.  
"Alright, well the Gate is down there" Baurus pointed down the hill to the left of them. "We've received quite a lot of willing soldiers, wanting to help with the crisis" he smiled as he started to move into the village. Lucien's stomach felt tight as he followed. The Imperial Guards were no match for the Daedra and there weren't enough of them to do as much damage as they needed. He followed reluctantly. They got to a small field where horses were usually kept, but instead of horses, men and women stood in groups waiting. Each group had different armour. He felt himself smile as he saw the shrouded armour of the Dark Brotherhood.  
"They're all here" Zylien said looking around. Six men approached the group, each wearing the armour of the group that they had come from. One with golden armour with a red sun on the breastplate walked over to Merik. His hair was hidden by his helmet, but his eyes were the colour of sunrise.  
"Azura sends her personal guards to fight for Merik, hero of Tamriel" he said bowing. He stood up again and asked her to follow him. Lucien watched her walk over to the hundreds of guards in the same armour. He expected the man in the shrouded armour to approach him, but he went over to Zylien.  
"Executioner, Sanguine gives you his army" He bowed, and led Zylien away. Amara walked over to Lucien, fear plastered on her face.  
"Amara, what's wrong?" he asked, but before Amara answered, two men in Dark Seducer and Golden Saint armour, made themselves visible.  
"Amara, we are here under the last request of Sheogorath" they said in a voice carrying no emotion, but their faces said different. They were mourning, just as Amara was, for their Prince. Amara just nodded. She left with the men without a word.  
"I don't want to lead an army" Laen said looking at the two men that were left. One wore a black cloak, his face completely hidden and the other wore silver armour with a navy blue wolf on each arm.  
"Laen, Hircine sends his Wolves as a way to make up for the fallen hero" the soldier, obviously from Lupus, bowed. Laen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
"We're splitting up for now, but we will go through the Gate together." Lucien reassured him. He patted Laen on the back and he walked off with the head of Hircine's guards. That left Lucien and the cloaked figure.  
"Namira sends us for glory" the figure growled.  
"I thought as much." He walked with the figure. The rest of Namira's men were exactly the same, covered from head to toe in black hooded robes.  
"We live to serve" they chanted - Nothing like a good cult to back you in a fight. Lucien sighed. Lightning cracked and the sky filled with red fire. The cool breathable air turned into scorching winds in seconds. Lucien coughed and gasped as he tried to breathe through the volcanic air.  
"It's happening!" Baurus called out as Daedra scrambled up from the Oblivion Gate. The gate was a flaming mess of reds, yellows and oranges. It was surrounded by black metallic spikes and some at its base, tipped with blood, holding it to the ground. The flames from the Gate seemed to want to escape, reaching out like tentacles. There were hundreds of Daedra, all with midnight black armour, all accompanied by beasts from the Deadlands. Lucien could feel the enchantments on their armour that made mortals fear them. He felt the power and instead of being terrifying it was comforting. He smirked.  
"Soldiers of the Isles, with me!" Amara called out, her hands lit with green fire. She ran with the Seducers and Saints towards the oncoming hoard of Daedra. Zylien stood behind, Dark Brotherhood at his back.  
"If they get past, we chop them down!" he yelled drawing his sword. The Brotherhood followed his command, drawing their weapons alongside him. They swung at the stray Daedra that escaped Amara. Arrows rained down over Zylien and his army. Merik had barricaded herself further back than everyone else, her soldiers and her firing arrows into the fight. Lucien and Laen were the only one not in the fight.  
"Wolves of Hircine, we stand at the Gate itself and await the Daedra from there!" Laen called out, moving his army down the hill towards the Gate. Lucien signalled his men silently, but before he moved, he watched Laen and his men. Before they got to the bottom of the hill, they all shifted and an army of wolves tore apart the next wave of Daedra. Lucien couldn't get down to help Laen, but as he saw the un-dead shuffle out of the Gate, he knew he had to do something, and fast.  
"We walk in the shadows tonight" he called over his hooded men. They started disappearing all at once. Lucien followed, melting into the darkness. He came out at the bottom of the hill, just behind Laen. His 'cult' took out the zombies one by one until all that was left were rotting corpses lying bloodied and ruined in the dirt. Lucien gagged at the oozing bodies. He shook it off, realizing more creatures were escaping.  
"Amara, we need to get in the Gate and close it!" Lucien heard Zylien call out.  
"Laen, we need to get Merik, Zylien, and Amara down here" Lucien said to the golden wolf at his side. Laen didn't nod, instead he ran off in Amara's direction. "Wolves of Hircine and Shadow Riders of Namira; stand against the Daedra and their armies" Lucien yelled as he ran back up the hill behind Laen. Merik was fighting next to Zylien, swinging a sword she had taken from one of the Daedra. Lucien looked for Amara, but she wasn't fighting with the Saints and Seducers anymore.  
"Where's Amara?" Lucien asked, side-stepping away from a Daedra's incoming sword. He turned back, and ran his knife through the demon's face.  
"She was right there" Merik said slicing a zombie in half. Lucien looked for Laen. He was the only golden wolf there, how hard could it be to find him? Suddenly, the ground shook, leaving everyone, including the Daedra, unbalanced. Lucien turned to the Gate where a beast larger than the towers in the Imperial City emerged. It was a pale red with golden Daedric writing all over it. It was barely covered, with only shoulder guards and a metal loin cloth as armour, but somehow Lucien felt that he didn't need that much armour. Maybe it was the horns? Or perhaps the four arms? Something was definitely off. The sight of the monster made him speechless. It was only luck that the Daedra were busy looking at the beast as well and not attacking them.  
"I think, I mean, tell me if I'm wrong, but I think, that might be Mehrunes Dagon" Merik said, scowling at the creature.  
"I have a strange feeling that you might be right" Zylien smiled. How in the world he was smiling? Lucien was still staring at the monster's arms. All four of them… you would think that wouldn't be the weirdest thing he had seen throughout his adventures, but it wasn't the amount of arms it had that bothered him. It was the fact that each arm held a double-sided weapon that was either an axe or a sword, or in some cases both.  
"We have to find Amara" Lucien mumbled. Zylien nodded. None of the Daedra were attacking, as if they were waiting for their Prince to make the first move. They moved slowly, carefully, making sure they don't disturb the Daedra or attract the attention of the Prince himself. Mehrunes Dagon made Lucien think about the other Princes. Were they really this size? And if they were, how many arms would they have? He pictured Namira as a giant spider looking creature with eight arms. He shivered at the thought and kept moving.  
"If you're looking for your leader, she and her pet wolf have joined me in the Deadlands. Come and get her if you dare" Mehrunes Dagon growled. His voice made the Daedra around them shiver.  
"Challenge accepted, Princess!" Merik called up to Mehrunes Dagon. Zylien laughed and Lucien smiled, covering his eyes with his hand, and shaking his head.  
"Insult me all you want, that won't save your friends" he smiled and only then did Lucien realize he had tusks too. All he needed now was a couple of extra pairs of eyes and he would be one of the grossest Daedric Princes he had ever met.  
"Girl's gotta have a hobby" Merik shrugged. The Daedra started to move again, slowly towards Lucien, Merik, and Zylien. It was as if they had been frozen and now they were thawing out.  
"Merik, Zylien, we head for the Gate. I don't care if we have to tear down the Deadlands to find Amara, I will find her" Lucien yelled. Zylien nodded and ran, Merik following close behind. Lucien conjured up a sword from the shadows. He was prepared to slice through every Daedra to get to that Gate.  
"Don't hesitate mortal, I will not stop you from entering my realm" Dagon smiled, baring his rotted teeth at Lucien.  
"So I will come to no harm getting to the Deadlands?" Lucien yelled up to him, still very aware of the Daedra and other creatures that surrounded him. Dagon laughed. It echoed over the mountains behind them and shook the ground.  
"It's going to be so much fun watching you die" and with his last words, Dagon disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. The Daedra fell to the ground, not dead, but unconscious. Lucien moved fast, watching all the bodies on the ground – who could blame the man for being so cautious? Amara would call him paranoid, but then again she was ten times more paranoid than he… but she would never admit it. He ran for the Gate, tripping slightly down the hill. Zylien and Merik were waiting at the foot of the Gate. Up close, it looked bigger and wider than it looked from on top of the hill.  
"When you're ready, Lucien" Merik said, sword drawn. Lucien nodded and stepped into the flaming circle. At first the flames that licked his skin felt cold and he felt nothing. He pushed through thinking it was all a trick of the mind, that this wasn't real fire; that Mehrunes Dagon was trying to scare him. He stopped moving forward and tried to look around him, but the flames stopped him from seeing anything that wasn't the yellows and whites of the fire.  
"Lucien?!" he heard a voice from in front of him. It was Amara. "Lucien, where are you?" He tried to follow the voice but the fire started to heat up. It sounded strange when he thought about fire 'heating up' but it had once been cool, like running water, but now it felt like the heat of a long Summer's day.  
"I think he's still in there!" Zylien called out. The flames were burning his skin now.  
"Then I'm going in after him" Amara said. Lucien could feel his skin start to blister as he tried to move forward. He heard laughter as he struggled to move. Mehrunes Dagon was watching him burn. He cried out as his blisters bubbled and burst as he moved. "I can't go in!" he heard Amara cry.  
"No human will save your Listener now" Dagon laughed. Lucien cried out again as he felt his skin melt. He fell to his knees and cried out again as his burnt flesh hit the floor. He collapsed, half his face still exposed to the flames, but the other half touching the floor. He should have been dead. That or in shock, but other than his flesh melting off his bones, he felt fine. Dagon was keeping him alive to punish him.  
"He's right" he head Laen's voice, "No human will save him, but I'm no human." Lucien looked up and saw shadows in front of him. Four shadows. He closed his eyes, willing himself to die as the fire blackened his skin. He felt the cool touch of skin on his burns and he screamed wordlessly. He kept his eyes closed as he felt the fire moving further away.  
"Lucien!" Amara cried as she took his from whoever pulled him out of the fire. He opened his eyes to see Amara crying as she kneeled beside him, careful not to touch him.  
"Who…" he coughed, not able to finish his sentence.  
"Laen, Laen saved you!" Amara moved to hug him, but stopped. "I can fix this" she said still crying. Her hands were shaking as she raised them over Lucien's chest. His clothes had burnt off, but that was the least of his problems. The wounds started to sting. He looked at his body, blackened and red with burns. He tried to lift his arm, but as soon as he saw that the burns had melted most of the skin, he let it drop to the floor.  
"Amara, he's dying. I can feel his life fading" Zylien said not bothering to hide the fear in his voice.  
"Ok, ok, I'm trying" she whimpered as she steadied her hands. He watched her close her eyes. "Come on, I can't lose you too" she whispered. Lucien wanted to let go, but staring up at Amara, he realized him dying won't help anyone and it wouldn't stop the pain. Death doesn't happen to you, it happens to everyone around you. He palms started to glow white. The light shot down into his chest making him convulse. White strands and vines of light stretched from her hands and wrapped around his body. Lucien could feel his skin knitting together and reforming, but it didn't hurt. It became easier to breathe as he healed. He lifted his arm and watched the skin reform. He touched it with his other hand feeling the smooth fresh skin under his fingertips. He smiled as the glow stopped.  
"You did it" Merik cheered. Amara helped Lucien sit up.  
"Am I…" Lucien wheezed, "…Wearing clothes?" Amara laughed. She waved her hand and Lucien was wearing the robe he had met Amara in.  
"Welcome back, Lucy" Laen teased, a gigantic grin plastered on his face.  
"If you hadn't saved my life just then, I would kill you boy" Lucien replied, smiling almost as much as the were-wolf. Sitting with his friends, sitting with the people that had fought beside him, he felt, no matter the outcome of their quest, he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. He looked around. No mortal had been inside the Deadlands until now. There were two citadels, black with spikes on the top, surrounded by rock and lakes of lava. They were separated by the fiery liquid, but there was a thin metallic strip connecting them. The one to the left had a banner hanging on the front. It was decorated by the Daedric letter 'O'; . The other had a banner the same size, but had the Daedric letters 'M' and 'D'; and .There were bridges to each citadel, made of stone, and crumbling into the lava below.  
"That looks inviting" Merik said staring at the spiked citadels.  
"Doesn't it make you just so excited that we have to go in there?" Amara said not trying to hide her smile.  
"Oh so excited" Laen rolled his eyes, still smiling. The sarcasm in Laen's voice made Lucien laugh. He pushed himself to stand up. He ached, but he had no burns left. He wrapped his arm around Amara's waist, half hugging her.  
"I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to seeing the variety of torture weapons they have" he winked at Amara. She shook her head. Lucien laughed.  
"Two citadels, if you agree Amara, I say we split up and check them both" Laen said.  
"The flags" Merik pointed at the banners.  
"The letters are Daedric, O, M and D. I guess Oblivion and Mehrunes Dagon?" Amara explained. Lucien suddenly realized he didn't know how to close an Oblivion Gate.  
"Amara, when we're in there, what are we looking for and how do we actually close the Gate?" he asked moving away from her and letting his arm fall to his side.  
"I've thought about that. The only people who know are Daedric Princes, and well, we all know they're the most unhelpful beings in all of existence…but…" she started. Lucien had a feeling that was she was going to say was going to be much worse than just talking to a Daedric Prince. "In the forest of the Shivering Isles, I heard a voice."  
"Great she's gone crazy" Zylien tilted his head at Amara.  
"Shut up" Laen said. Lucien fought the laughter that was bubbling inside of him. He coughed trying to cover it.  
"I heard His voice, Sheogorath" Amara said and all the humour in the faces of the five heroes disappeared. "I heard him tell me what to do"  
"And when we were in Nox, your eyes, they were like his" Merik said frowning as if she was recalling the memory.  
"He was… angry, that Namira wanted me as her hero" Amara nodded.  
"Does this mean he's still alive?" Laen asked, genuinely curious. Lucien was curious too. He liked the Prince. Sheogorath was the only Prince he liked, but Amara was way too close to the man for comfort.  
"No, I don't think so" Amara mumbled. Lucien tried to think of something that would turn the conversation back to the task at hand.  
"So you 'channel' Sheogorath, and what, he tells us where to go?" he tried to hide the sarcasm out of his voice. Amara nodded. She obviously didn't care that he was sarcastic or she wasn't fully paying attention.  
"Channel away. You might want to hurry as well. I don't know where those Daedra were coming from but I'm getting the feeling there will be more coming soon." Merik said and as she spoke, figures began to climb out of the lava- Daedra. Lucien watched Laen, Zylien, and Merik draw swords.  
"Around Amara" Laen called out and the other two followed his lead as he stepped closer to Amara, still facing the pools of Daedra spawning lava. Amara closed her eyes. Lucien watched her, making sure nothing happened to her.  
"Sheogorath" she whispered. She started to glow green, something that hadn't happened before.  
"Amara, are you…" she shushed Lucien before he could say anything else. She opened her eyes. They were golden feline eyes that didn't belong on her face. She looked at the oncoming hoard of Daedra.  
"Can't you see I'm trying to work?" she called out, but it wasn't her voice that Lucien heard. It was the very Scottish voice of the Daedric Prince, Sheogorath.  
"Lord Sheogorath, help us" Merik pleaded, still focused on the Daedra. Lucien stepped back slightly.  
"Very well" Amara flicked her hand towards the Daedra and they all flew back into the lava. "That won't keep them, but, oh well, you'll be fine" Amara started to shiver.  
"Sheogorath, Amara has wasted power on calling you, to help us! Not leave us to die!" Laen shouted, turning around. For once Lucien agreed with the boy.  
"Tell us how to shut the Gate, and let your hero rest" Lucien hissed, glaring at the golden eyes that didn't belong.  
"Common sense, mortals, 'O' is for Oblivion Gate" Sheogorath said. Amara convulsed and fell to the ground. Lucien caught her on the way down.  
"Amara?" he shook her gently. She opened her eyes. Lucien stared into her bright grey eyes and smiled.  
"Was he helpful?" she asked. Lucien laughed.  
"Eventually" He helped her up.  
"We go to the one with the 'O' on the banner" Merik said sheathing her sword. She started running towards the bridge.  
"And here I thought it would be the one with his name on it" Zylien said running after Merik.  
"Now we'll never know what's in there" Laen smiled as he took off.  
"Probably for the best" Amara and Lucien said at the same time as they started to move as well. They laughed as they got to the bridge. They stopped laughing as soon as they saw the crumbling stone and the gaps in the bridge.  
"So, who's first?" Zylien asked staring at the bubbling lava.  
"Me" Laen said walking onto the bridge before anyone could pull him back.  
"Laen, what are you doing?" Amara yelled. She tried to follow him but Lucien took her hand. He shook his head. They didn't know if it was safe yet.  
"Someone once told me I was a coward. It's time I proved myself. Zylien has proved himself, not reacting the way he used to with blood; Merik was never helpless, always fighting until she couldn't anymore; Lucien walked through fire just to save you, and you… You, Amara, prove yourself to everyone, everyday, by surviving" Laen called back. He continued to jump over gaps and duck under spikes that stuck out of the columns on either side of the bridge. He made it to the entrance of the citadel. He turned back, smiled, and waved.  
"If we get through this alive, he would make a great Assassin of the Dark Brotherhood" Lucien said walking, still holding Amara's hand, onto the bridge. The air was barely breathable and the heat made Lucien nauseous. He swallowed his discomfort and focused on where he was walking. He thought about Namira's burn scars and wondered if she had something to do with him being stuck in the fire. If her goal was to make him afraid of fire, as she was, she had succeeded. He didn't think he would ever be the same around flames and thinking of going back through them made him shiver.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Tamriel's Last Stand

 _This was it_ was all Amara could think as they reached the gate to the entrance of the citadel. The bridge behind them had crumbled and fallen into the lava. There was no turning back. They pushed on the gate together. It opened slowly, only to reveal two Daedra, swords drawn and ready to fight. Amara drew her sword and waited for them to come at her. They started to move but Merik walked forward. She held a hand out in front of her.  
"Stop" she commanded, her eyes closed. Amara could feel her magic flowing out of her like a cool breeze in the scorching heat of the Deadlands. The Daedra froze, staring at Merik. Amara saw a chance and took it. She ran her sword through one of them and set the other one aflame with her magic.  
"I see you're getting better with that Glamour of yours" Lucien said, his voice not entirely happy. Amara looked back to see Laen, Zylien and Lucien all frozen in motion. Amara laughed as Merik let them free. The inside of the citadel felt hot, as if they were inside an oven. The room was circular with black steel walls. The only light they had came from a pit in the middle of the floor, where a fire large enough to reach to the next floor sat. Sweat started to pour down Amara's face. She tried to hold onto the walls to keep her from falling over, but as soon as her hands touched the wall she had to pull it away. The walls were hotter than freshly made metal. She hissed as she cradled her burnt hand. She lifted it shakily into the air and took a breath as deep as she could. As she let it out, she healed her hand with a white light.  
"We'll never live it d-down if we die on the first floor" Zylien coughed as he helped Merik walk.  
"Can you imagine the stories people will read their children?" Laen smiled, "'papa, read me the one about how the heroes died of dehydration'" he mimicked the voice of a small child. Zylien made a noise between a cough and a laugh. Lucien came to stand next to Amara.  
"Are you ok?" she asked watching his face. He looked pale, even more so than the rest of them. He didn't look at her. He was too busy watching the pit of fire in the middle of the room. He kept feeling his arms, trying to find the burns he had gotten only minutes ago.  
"Hmmm?" he said, eyes still wide, staring at the fire. How could she have been so stupid? She hadn't forgotten; she'd just pushed it to the back of her mind.  
"Oh Lucien, I'm so sorry" she went to touch him but their heat together would be too much to deal with. She had an idea. She wasn't sure if it would work; only because the fire reached through the second floor and maybe even to the top of the citadel. She kissed Lucien on the cheek and jogged to the edge of the fiery pit. It would be just her luck that she would fall in or worse, the fire would be immune to her magic. She held her hands out in front of her.  
" _Ekem_ " she whispered and her hands began to glow blue, " _Ayem_ " she felt as if she was sticking her hands into cool running water, " _Yoodt_ ". At first the water came out slowly but after a moment it began to build up. The fire was strong and it felt as if it was fighting back, but Amara dug down inside of her, and felt her connection to Sheogorath. She used her Prince to enhance her strength. She felt him as if he was behind her, holding her hand again, like he had been the first time she went to Nox. She smiled as she became lost in memories, but her moment was ruined when someone touched her shoulder. Zylien stood beside her, Merik passed out in his arms.  
"Is the water safe to drink?" he asked and Amara nodded. She knelt and cupped her hands. As she put them in the water she shivered. The room was losing heat quicker than she had expected. The only reason the light wasn't gone was that there were torches illuminating their sides of the room. The heroes drank the water Amara had created, but by the time Merik was able to walk on her own the room was so cold Amara could see her breath freeze in the air.  
"We need to keep moving" Amara said looking for a door that wasn't going to lead them back out to the Deadlands. Eventually Laen found the door that lead to the second level. Amara took the lead, running up the stairs to the next floor. She had a feeling that something on the next floor was going to try to kill them. They reached the top of the stairs and stopped. There was a hole in the middle of the floor and one in the ceiling, where the fire would have gone through. Amara wondered what the fire was for. She went to get a closer look, but was stopped. Lucien had grabbed her arm and pulled her back.  
"What?" she asked looking around to see if she had missed anything.  
"Traps, everywhere" he pointed to the dark floor. She followed his gaze but found nothing. She looked at everyone else. They looked as confused as she was. Lucien rolled his eyes and knelt on the steps. He laid a hand down in the darkness and pulled away almost immediately. Spikes sprang up out of the ground just in front of Amara. She stumbled back.  
"Be careful, I think there might be traps" Merik said sarcastically, looking at the spikes. Amara had to smile; she was trying to lighten the mood. The spikes started to go back into the dark floor, and if Amara hadn't seen it first-hand, she never would have believed anything was there. Lucien took lead, stepping over the shadows into places he knew where safe. Amara followed, trying to step exactly where he did. Laen went next, following with ease. The same couldn't have been said about Merik. She tripped over her own feet. Amara turned when she heard Merik cry out. Laen had her arm as she dangled over one of the traps Lucien had walked over. He pulled her back and steadied her. Amara gave him a small nod as he turned back. She followed Lucien, and was thankful that he had stopped moving when she did. They made it the middle of the room where the fire should have been.  
"What do you think the fire was for?" Laen asked looking up through the roof. The next floor was pitch black, but also the last floor. Amara took a deep breath and let it out. They needed to find the next door, without stepping in a trap. She had an idea, but knew the others wouldn't like it.  
"I can get up there, with help, and find the door up there and work my way down." She said. Lucien denied it immediately, saying he wouldn't leave her alone. Laen wanted to go with her but backed down when she said she worked better when she didn't have to worry about other people. It was true and she didn't have time to be nice. She loved her friends and appreciated their help, but she knew how to work alone better than how to work in a team. Merik agreed with her, saying it would take less time if Amara found the door. Zylien didn't say anything. "You don't want me to go up, do you?" she asked and Zylien looked at the floor.  
"I was the first person you saved Amara, I know how you work alone and how you change when you're with others. You ran head-first into the danger and didn't expect anyone to help you, but now you run in head-first, but now you look back to make sure none of us are hurt or dead" he said. He looked her in the eyes. "I was the one that needed saving, but now I'm going to do what I can to help you, even if can't go with you." He smiled, but his eyes were sad. He was worried she would go up and not come back down again. He dropped to his knees and put his hand flat on the ground, making sure he didn't touch the traps around them. The ground shook and Amara had to hold onto Lucien to keep from falling through to the first floor. She steadied herself and found three skeletons wearing shrouded armour in front of her.  
"Thank you" she smiled at Zylien. Two of his skeletons knelt, facing eachother, and held their arms out to eachother. They held each other's elbows. Amara looked at Zylien and he nodded. She put her foot on their arms and pushed herself up so she was balanced, standing on top of the skeletons. Lucien had a hand on her back, making sure she didn't fall. She looked at the ledge above her. She could jump the rest of the way, but catching herself would be the hardest part. She closed her eyes, willing herself not to look down. She took a breath, counted to three, and let it out. As she opened her eyes, she bent her legs and with the added boost from the skeletons beneath her, she jumped towards the ledge. As she reached it, she grabbed on and hung over the hole in the floor. She pulled herself up and scrambled to the next floor, breathing heavy. She looked back down at her friends. Lucien was pale, but he looked relieved that she had made it. The third skeleton was preparing itself to jump, as she had done. Amara realized she hadn't checked her surroundings. She crouched and looked around her. The floor was completely black, and the only things Amara could see were the outlines of what looked like coffins standing vertically against the walls.  
" _Hefheld ekem yoodt_ " she whispered and a ball of white light materialized in front of her. The room became lighter. She stood up, seeing no threat. The skeleton had made its way up through the opening and was now standing beside her. The walls were grey stone. In front of it were five rectangular boxes that she had mistaken for coffins. They stood in a circle just three steps from the hole. Each stone container had Daedric writing carved into it. They were each of the Daedric Princes that had given a hero to defeat Mehrunes Dagon. Behind them, were banners each detailed with the colours and portrait of each Daedric Prince. Amara drew in a shaky breath and let it out slowly.  
"Amara?" she heard Lucien call out. She had been quiet for too long and they'd gotten worried.  
"Yeah, I'm ok, just processing what I've just seen" she called back, still staring at her surroundings.  
"Is there a door somewhere?" Zylien asked. Amara had forgotten to look for a door. She cursed softly and looked around. There was a wooden door directly opposite the hole she had come through. She walked over to it, still aware of everything around her, encase there were more traps. There weren't, but it was better to be safe than end up with multiple wounds. The door was locked, and Amara had seen no keys on the way over. She suddenly went pale. A low growling sound came from the other side of the door. She ran back to the hole.  
"I know where the door is, but you can only open it from your side. I'm going to come back down and show you where it is." She whispered. Even though they had been yelling at eachother, with no negative consequences, now she knew there had been someone listening, she decided to whisper- Logic. She dropped down into the hole, still hanging onto the sides and threw herself at the skeletons, which were still waiting for her. She landed with a thud in the arms of one of the bony figures. She scrambled away from it and landed on the floor. It was still unnerving that Zylien had made skeletons out of nothing.  
"Amara, are you alright?" Lucien asked helping her up. She nodded.  
"There's something on this side of the door, we need a plan before we go up. I'm not sure what it is, but we've come too far to be careless" she said and the others agreed. They voted that Lucien would shadow walk and Zylien would 'distract' whatever was blocking the doorway.  
"Wait, why not me? I proved myself, I'm as brave as anyone in this room" Laen said. Amara sighed. He had proven that he could be brave, by pulling Lucien out of the fire and by going first on the bridge to the citadel. He was brave, but only because he needed to prove himself, but she couldn't explain it like that to him.  
"We need Lucien to go, because he can move without being seen and Zylien is the best swordsman out of us all" Amara finally said. She turned to Lucien.  
"I go up there and find out how to open the door, while Zylien gets the beastie out of the way?" He asked making sure he knew what he was doing.  
"Yeah, now don't die before you get back to me" she went up on her tip-toes, so she was eye level with him and kissed him softly. She dropped back down and felt a smile creeping onto her face.  
"Do I get a kiss too?" Zylien asked, his voice full of humour. Amara turned around and realised they had an audience. Merik was grinning ear to ear, Laen was blank faced, blinking at the two of them, and Zylien was smiling, his eyebrows raised. Amara scowled at them and turned back to Lucien for help, but he was staring dumbfounded at her too.  
"The door's that way" she said pointing across the room. She knew she sounded grumpy, but none of them took it that way. Merik started laughing and Lucien went bright red. "Seriously?" she asked- it's like she's trying to have a grown-up conversation with children. Amara didn't like the idea of sending their best fighter up to face the creature alone, and it didn't matter that Lucien was going with him. Lucien wasn't fighting. Amara stood between the shadows as she watched Lucien and Zylien disappear through to the stair way to third floor.  
"Something's bothered you Amara" Laen said carefully coming to stand beside Amara.  
"I hate not being able to see them" she wanted to pace around the room, but she had no idea where the traps were.  
"I'm sure they'll be fine" he said, giving her a smile that should have re-assured her, but it didn't.  
"There is a way you could see them" Merik said, "Magic"  
"What makes you think I know how to do something like that?" Amara asked, and Merik smiled.  
"Cause I've seen you in action." Merik replied. Amara knew she was right. She had an affinity for magic, she always had. She closed her eyes and pictured where she thought Lucien was. It was like trying to find the needle in a haystack, when it was pitch black and there was no needle.  
" _Vekh oht iya roht_ " she whispered, and as she opened her eyes she saw Zylien walking quietly up the staircase. Everything looked as if it was seeing the room through a blue filter. She heard her heart beat echo another's; Lucien's. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through him as he moved, pressed against the walls. He wasn't afraid of what would greet them at the top of the stairs.  
" _Lucien, we need to pick up the pace. Stay with me_ " She heard Zylien's voice. It sounded like he was speaking to her from underwater. Lucien didn't nod or make a sound, but he picked up his pace and moved with Zylien up the winding steps. She thought it was strange how Zylien trusted Lucien this much, especially after he had hated Lucien the first time they met. She thought, perhaps, they had proven themselves to eachother while she was in Nox. It felt like so long ago, waking up in the cold cell, meeting the strange hooded figure that was Lucien, working alongside a weak stomached Dunmer that turned out to be one of the best fighters she'd ever met. She focused back on where Lucien was. She saw them turn around the last bend. Blocking the door was a smaller version of what Mehrunes Dagon had looked like when he had gone through the Oblivion Gate, although he was less terrifying. Amara thought that is was probably the size of Mehrunes Dagon that scared her the most, only because looking at the miniature version, which it was compared to the original; it didn't have the same kick to it. She could feel Lucien trying to stop himself from laughing. Even in the face of danger he still had a sense of humour. The beast growled at Zylien and started to move away from the door, but there was no way Lucien could get past it. She underestimated him. Instead of going around the beast he went through it, because that makes a lot of sense, why wouldn't he just go through the object blocking his path. Amara rolled her eyes. Lucien stood at the door and pushed it. It didn't open and he cursed softly. There was a key hole but the mini-Dagon, wore no keys.  
" _Lucien_ " Amara whispered, hoping he could hear her as she could hear him.  
" _Amara?_ " he turned around, as if he expected to see her.  
" _Shush, don't answer, just listen. You need a key to get in, I can feel it is magic protected which means I'm off the playing field, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the wannabe Dagon has the keys somewhere out of sight_ " she said and Lucien studied the creature.  
" _What do you want me to do, grope it until I find something key shaped?_ " he hissed. Amara scowled. He wasn't going to make this easy.  
" _Nope_ " she smiled, and it wasn't one of her warm smiles. It was cold. The kind of smile you would see on a certain Prince of Madness, who shall remain nameless. " _I want you to kill it then tear the skin off its bones. I want you to rip it apart until there are no places left it could hide them_ " she said. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but completely ignored it.  
" _Amara…_ " Lucien started, but Amara grew impatient. She felt her power bubble inside of her and it wouldn't be calmed. She made Lucien turn to Zylien, who was swinging his sword at the creature.  
" _Seht ekem seht yahkem ekem yoodt xayah_ " as soon as she spoke the words, she was seeing out of Zylien's eyes. She was in complete control of Zylien. It was as if Zylien had stepped into the other room. There wasn't any time to marvel at her new found power. She ducked an incoming swing from the creature in front of her. She threw down the sword Zylien was carrying. That seemed to surprise the beast, because it hesitated. Amara saw her chance and took it. She put her hands on its shoulders and pictured it ripping apart. She felt a maniacal grin creep onto her face at the thought of it crumbling under her strength. She wasted no time. She kicked the beast's feet out and used all the strength Zylien could offer to pull its arm out of its socket. The minion of Mehrunes Dagon cried out, but it didn't stop her. She pulled until she felt its blood splatter her face. It cried out. The only thing Amara heard was its shrieks as she pulled off another arm, using her foot on its throat as leverage. The cries stopped and something that sounded suspiciously like a growl escaped her throat. She stumbled back, stepping away from the body, but she misjudged where she stepped, forgetting that the legs she was using were longer than her own. She tripped and would've fallen if she hadn't felt three pairs of hands on her back. Once she was steadied, she turned and found Laen, Merik, and Lucien all ready to help her if she fell again.  
" _How did you get here_?" she asked, her voice coming out as Zylien's and not her own.  
"We felt you, felt what you were doing." Laen said, eyes wide, staring at her face.  
"We got an image in our heads of where we needed to go. It was like we were using Lucien's memories of where he stepped to get here." Merik said. She was pale, trying not to look anywhere but Zylien's face.  
"Amara, your eyes" Lucien said and Amara saw the sadness and fear in his eyes. She touched her face, as if she could feel if her eyes were different. She knew, just by the look on Lucien's face; the man who was supposed to love her no matter what, that she had Sheogorath's eyes and that he was scared of her. No, not scared, terrified.  
"We left you down stairs. You told us not to move you" Laen said, just encase she got angry for leaving her alone. She didn't remember telling them to leave her there, but she knew they wouldn't lie to her.  
"Thank you" her voice was empty, as was her face. She didn't feel anything. It was as if her emotions had been left behind. She closed her eyes and pictured her body on the ground, lying next to the skeletons. When she opened them she was back in the room surrounded by shadows. She sat up in the darkness and listened for the rest of the heroes coming back down, but something stopped them. She heard Zylien cry out and the heaving of someone throwing up. She guessed that it Zylien was also the one throwing up. Fair enough, he a) just had his body taken over to b) remove the enemy's limbs from its body. She heard the others start to argue.  
"She didn't know what she had done! You can't fully blame her for what happened!" Lucien yelled, his voice echoing down the stairs.  
"She used him and took away his free will, Lucien!" Merik yelled back. She had to get up there and apologize to Zylien. The longer she was alone, listening to them argue, the less he's going to forgive her.  
"Did you see her face? She was completely out of it when she realised what she'd done" Laen jumped into the fight. That can't be good.  
"Stay out of this!" Merik hissed. Amara expected Laen to back off, like he would have before, and of course she was wrong.  
"How about you back off, Elf?" Laen spat. Amara started working through the shadows. She could sit here and let them fight over something she had done.  
"S-stop it, now" Zylien coughed. Amara stopped at the sound of his voice. Would he ever forgive her for what she did? Would their reactions be the same if she had used Lucien? She continued walking where she had seen Lucien do it before. She reached the stairway, trying to block out the fighting, but she realised they wouldn't be fighting if it weren't for what she had done. She slowly started up the stairs.  
"Why, Zylien? Because she's your friend? Because she saved you? Well none of that counts when she used you to finally embrace the monster she is." Amara stopped walking up the steps. She had saved Merik too. She had put herself through her worst nightmare, literally, to save this girl, and she still thought of her as a monster.  
"Say that again" Lucien said, saying each word slowly and full of rage. "SAY IT!" Amara started to run up the stairs. As she turned around the last bend she saw the back of Laen, his short blonde hair almost glowing in the darkness of the stairwell. Next to him was Lucien. He was up in Merik's face, the perfect distance away to throw a punch. Merik was opposite him, her face full of anger and disgust. Her brunette curly hair was a mess and her skin, usually the midpoint of being light and dark, was pale and even with the golden shine to it that Altmers always have, she looked sick. Amara jumped to the conclusion that Zylien wasn't the only one who had been throwing up. And just as Amara had the thought, she caught the smell of what was all over the floor, as if acknowledging the vomit made the smell worse. She gagged. Merik turned to see Amara.  
"Speak of the devil" she said and Lucien walked over to her.  
"Are you okay?" he asked, cupping her cheek with his hand. She nodded and she moved past him, letting his hand drop. She looked at Laen. His eyes were the same beautiful sea green-blue colour as they had been when they met, but there was something different. His eyes looked older and more tired. Amara felt guilty. Guilty that she had forced this boy, barely a teen, to be brave when even she had broken down. Guilty that she had used Zylien to do something he was beyond uncomfortable with. Zylien was standing, leaning against the wall, as if his own feet wouldn't hold him without aid.  
"Zylien" she said in almost a whisper, "I'm so sorry." She heard him take a shaky breath as she took his eyes off the floor and looked at her.  
"We need to finish this" he said, but didn't move.  
"We still need the key" Laen said and Amara's eyes were drawn to the body on the floor. Her eyes didn't want to make sense of what she was seeing. It looked so much worse that what she thought she had done. The monster was almost ripped in half, its insides spilling out between its two halves. She didn't regret killing it, but seeing the mess she had created made her feel worse about using Zylien. He came to her barely able to keep it down after seeing someone get a broken nose, and now here he was, standing over the mess she had made. She looked back at the chaos. It made her feel better than what she felt when looking at Zylien. Something was definitely wrong with that. She remembered what she said before. The key was hidden somewhere no one should be able to find it. She crouched, trying to get closer to the body- if you could actually call it a body any more. Something was stuck, piercing its heart. It was silver and metal, but other than that, Amara couldn't tell what it was. She reached over and pulled it until it came out. It was the key they had been looking for. She heard someone gag behind her when the key came out with bits of heart stuck to it. She picked the bits of the key and stood back up.  
"Well" Laen grimaced, "we found the key." Amara walked over to the door without another word. She had lost two of the people she thought were her friends, and it had been her fault. She couldn't even be angry with them. She's scared them. She shoved the key into the hole into the doo and turned it. She wanted to be angry, because she knew how to be angry; she didn't know how to deal with the emotions that kept trying to overwhelm her. The door opened with a creak and torches on the wall seemed to burst into flame. It didn't do that the first time Amara was in the room. The skeleton that had followed her through seemed to have disappeared, but it didn't worry Amara. She started towards the stone boxes once more, but before she got past the hole in the floor she felt the air around her get hotter.  
"Something's wrong" she said and before anyone could say anything, fire burst through the hole. Amara jumped and she heard Merik squeal. The surprise of the torches and the fire made Amara think there was going to be other surprises.  
"Weapons out, something's different this time" Lucien said, as if he'd read her mind. Amara heard the sound of swords being drawn as she drew her own. As they moved forward, the hole in the floor started to close up. The fire began to dull and in its place a midnight black orb, held by a thin metal, podium appeared.  
"What is that?" Laen asked. Amara stopped him from moving closer to it.  
"A Sigil Stone" Zylien said, "The Gate gets its power from the stone." Merik walked up to it before anyone could stop her.  
"Then wouldn't the logical thing to do be to take the stone..?" she asked.  
"No Merik!" Amara shouted. Merik ignored her and tried to pick up the stone. Amara felt a wave of heat wash over her as she felt Merik's life force drain. "No on touch her!" she yelled as she fell to the ground. She closed her eyes and reached out to Merik with her magic. She opened her eyes and Merik was standing further away from the Sigil Stone.  
"You used your magic on me!" Merik yelled at her. Amara scrambled to her feet, she wouldn't let Merik yell at her for saving her life a second time.  
"Maybe I should have let you die then. Is that what you want? I should have let you drown in Nox." Amara hissed. No one else was going to enter the fight. Maybe they thought by staying silent the fight will disappear on its own- boys and their logic.  
"Oh, is that right? We have an argument and you wish death upon me?" Merik spat back. She wasn't going to back off and neither was Amara.  
"An argument?! You called me a monster for something I had very little control over." Amara wasn't going to cry. In fact, she felt nothing like this was someone else's anger and not her own.  
"Yeah, sure that's what happened. You have a way with getting people hurt. I heard you broke Lucien's nose the first time you met him and you two are supposed to be in love! You mistreat Laen because he's a coward and a child, you disappear when one of our heroes died and you feel nothing for him when he did die, you killed Sheogorath out of your own stupidity…" before Merik finished yelling at her, Amara's fist collided with her face. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on top of the Altmer, driving her fist into Merik's throat.  
"Amara!" Lucien called out and she felt four arms trying to pull her off the Altmer – two arms on each of her own, which meant two people were trying to pull her off. Judging by the strength of the pull, neither of them were Laen. She was finally pulled off the bloodied and broken mess that was Merik. "Check her for a pulse" Zylien ran back over to Merik after letting go of Amara. Amara struggled against Lucien as Zylien crouched over Merik and felt her neck.  
"Got one, she's just knocked out" Zylien said as he stood back up, his hand covered in blood. Amara calmed down and stopped struggling.  
"The boxes" she said quietly.  
"What did you say?" Lucien asked softly, as if trying not to spook her.  
"We need to get into the boxes" she sounded tired as she sank into Lucien's arms.  
"Merik can go first. We don't want her waking up again and doing that again" Laen said and Zylien nodded. He picked up Merik's body. She looked tiny in his arms, like a sleeping child being carried by their parents. He walked over to the one farthest to the right.. She watched silently as he opened the stone casket with one hand. The inside of the box had an outline of a person the exact size of Merik. The Daedric writing on her box said _Azura_ 's _Hero- Merik_. It wasn't there last time she was in the room either. Things seemed to be changing as they went along and she could only hope that it was because of the Daedric Princes on their side and not the one that trying to kill them all. Zylien put her gently down and set her in the box so she wouldn't fall out.  
"Close it" Lucien said and Zylien sighed. They didn't know what would happen if they closed it. They didn't know if it would open back up. He shut the door carefully. The box started to glow yellow and Amara suddenly felt Merik as if she had taken her over again. Merik was waking up. She was scared, trapped in the box, but Amara didn't share what she felt.  
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" she heard Merik scream. Zylien went back turned back to the box and was about to open it when Amara spoke.  
"Don't open it" she said. Zylien frowned, but he didn't keep moving. More writing appeared on the stone case on its left. It read: _Sanguine's Hero- Zylien_.  
"See you on the other side" Laen smiled. Zylien pulled him in for a manly hug, one that starts off as a handshake. He hugged Lucien next, slapping him on the back twice. He moved to Amara and stopped.  
"I forgive you" he said as he hugged her. He cried silently as she hugged him back. She closed her eyes and thought of the first time they met, she thought she had to save him, when in reality it was he who made her stronger. He pulled away, smiling. "I can't wait to go home" he walked to his box, "maybe you guys can come visit, I'll introduce you to my little brother." Amara smiled and watched him as he stepped inside and closed the door. It started glowing too, but this time its colour was pink. It made her wonder, what would have happened if Lucien was chosen by Sanguine. Her smile widened at the thought of him in glowing pink robes. She felt another boost of power and heard Zylien in her head. He didn't seem to notice she was listening to his thoughts. He was thinking about his brother. She tried to focus on something else so he could keep the memories to himself, but she couldn't get them out of her head. She saw a boy about Lucien's height with the same purple skin, pointed ears, and military styled hair smiling up at Zylien. His eyes were a bright green, the green of leaves in the spring and full of joy. She smiled, but was pulled away from the memory. She was dragged into Merik's head where she saw a little girl, no older than six, sitting and playing with another toddler. It was Merik as a child. She had the same golden tinted, milk chocolate skin with deep brown curls, although her hair was shorter in the memory. Screams of 'Get out of my head' pulled Amara back to reality. Lucien put a hand on her shoulder. The next writing appeared to the very left of where she was standing. It had skipped to boxes and gone right to the end. _Hircine's Hero- Laen_. Laen didn't move. Amara smiled sadly at the boy.  
"When this is all over, what do you say we find a nice place we can all live?" Amara suggested and Lucien pulled her in closer to him and put his arm around her shoulders.  
"That sounds nice" Laen smiled and started walking to his stone case.  
"Laen" Amara's voice stopped him. He turned around quickly, as if he was looking for any reason to put off what he needed to do. Amara walked up to him and kissed him on the forehead, "I'll see you soon" she said. He blushed and turned away to hide his face.

When he closed his door, Amara felt him inside her head as well. There wasn't enough time to share what was happening with Lucien and even if there was, she wouldn't really know how to explain it. She saw, through Laen's memory, Zylien and Lucien arguing. She assumed it was when they had gone to Orien, otherwise Amara would have been there too. She saw Zylien punch Lucien in the face, breaking the Listener's nose. She smiled as she watched them yell at eachother. She felt Laen's emotions as he walked up to them. He was the happiest he had ever been just at the thought of being a part of a group that would later become his family.  
"I'm next, Amara" Lucien's voice made her focus again.  
"What?" she said, willing herself not to cry. If something went wrong, she would never be able to move on. He pointed at the container next to Laen's. It had his name and his Prince written on it like all the other ones. He smiled sadly.  
"I'll see you later, right?" He said making it sound like a question.  
"Of course." The first tear rolled down Amara's cheek. It was beyond painful saying goodbye, even for this amount of time. He kissed her, before anymore words ruined the moment. She melted into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on, for what felt like, the very last time. They broke apart and without another word he started walking.  
"You know what?" he stopped and turned around, just as he opened the door, "I think, I've been in love with you since the moment I saw you." Amara smiled, tears still running down her cheeks.  
"Don't say things like that, not now" he smiled and stepped into his chamber of stone. As the door closed, the last bolt of power shot through Amara as it started to glow black. She saw Lucien sitting in the room they had first met. She saw herself appear in the chair across from her and felt him hold his breath. She heard him thinking over and over again to tell her how beautiful she was, or how he felt, but how creepy that would be if he hit on her while she was doing a quest. She smiled and shook her head. To be fair, if he had done that, she would have hit him. She finally realized these images she saw were her friends' happiest memories. She walked slowly over to her own cement box as her name appeared. ' _This_ _was it_ ' she thought as she stopped before she opened the door. She felt all voices in her head got quiet as she got in. She thought for a second that they were dead and this had all been a trap, but as she reached out to Lucien, with her magic, she felt his fear and knew he was still alive. She took a deep breath and closed the door. It was dark, with a faint green glow as her only light source. Before she could wonder about what happens next, she felt metal claws stab her in the back. She cried out, and it was as if her cries triggered blades in the other cases. She felt her companions' pain more than she heard their screams. She closed her eyes, trying to distract herself from the pain, but as soon as she closed them she saw what was happening in the room. The wall had been smashed and Mehrunes Dagon stood ready to destroy the only way they could close the Gate. She had to get out and stop him. She tried to pull herself back to reality, but she wasn't strong enough. She felt the stone sarcophagus drain the energy from each of the heroes, including herself.  
"Amara!" she heard Merik call out. She aimed her magic towards the Altmer and closed her eyes again. "Take energy from me! If you take it, you can stop him!" Amara felt Merik wince at the pain she was feeling.  
"Let us help you" she heard Laen next. She saw tears streaming down his face.  
"Hurry" Zylien yelled. Their voices echoed through Amara's head. She tried to think of her own happiest memory – if this was the end, she wouldn't die in fear. She remembered being offered cheese by Lucien, holding Sheogorath's hand in Nox as he guided her through the darkness, and finally, she thought of her friends as they laughed in the face of danger. She opened her eyes, feeling the power Sheogorath had left her with. She felt the energy being taken from the other heroes and directed it into herself. The power wasn't warm or comforting. It was like being struck by lightning repeatedly and having to get up and push through it. She ripped herself from the claws that had inserted themselves into her back. She threw the door off her stone casing. She felt the scorching hot wind of the Deadlands and saw the giant figure that was Mehrunes Dagon.  
"I have conquered the land of Nightmares and am feared by Namira herself…" she growled staring up into the face of the demonic Prince. She felt her hands light with a flame hotter than she had felt before. "…I replaced Order and its Prince, Jyggalag with Madness…" she smiled and felt the energy in her bubble as if waiting to explode. "I am Amara of Tamriel, and you've threatened my home." She threw all her power into the Prince and watched as he burst into green and purple flames.  
"No mere mortal" he cried out as she thrust more magic at him, "can defeat Mehrunes Dagon!" He fell to his knees, making the ground shake. A blinding white light began to consume the building. Amara watched Dagon burn until she saw nothing but the light. She collapsed, feeling the energy she once had seep out of her.

She woke up only moments later lying in the middle of the cold charred remains of what used to be the Oblivion Gate. Her first thought was that Lucien was so lucky they didn't have to walk though the fiery Gate. She sat up too quickly. Were the others okay?  
"Woah, slow down" she heard Baurus' voice. She ignored him, looking around. Spread around in a circle were the other four heroes, lying in the dirt. She looked at each one with wide eyes. No, no, no, they can't be… She scrambled to her feet and pushed Baurus away as he tried to stop her. She ran to Zylien, as he was the closest one to her. She collapsed beside him and felt his neck for a pulse, but her hands were shaking too hard. She screamed in frustration as she shook.  
"Zylien, get up!" she cried. He didn't answer. She left him and pushed herself up. She wouldn't cry. Not yet. She ran over to Merik and knelt beside her. She laid her head on Merik's chest listening for a heartbeat. "NO!" she felt the first burning hot tear run down her cheek.  
"Amara…" Baurus tried to kneel beside her but she got to her feet and ran to Laen, the next hero lying in the dirt. She crumpled down beside him, almost on top of him. He looked so young. She moved the hair out of his eyes and pressed her forehead to his, letting her tears fall onto his face. She lifted herself off him. She was afraid to look behind her. "Amara, don't…" Baurus didn't try to move her or stop her. He knew what she was going to do. She froze and started shaking even more than she had been before. Her breaths came quicker and she knew if she didn't calm down, she would hyperventilate. She turned slowly. Lucien was lying on his side, facing her, eyes closed, and hair spilling across his face. She held her breath as she crawled to him. She sat next to him and pulled him into her lap. "Amara, we have to get you to medical" Baurus was trying to be calm as he watched her tighten her grip on Lucien.  
"Don't touch me" Amara growled, knowing the Blade would try to pull them apart. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed. Her power flared once more and as she cried she felt the soft down pour of rain. She hugged Lucien tighter and brought him closer to her. She screamed wordlessly, burying her face into his neck as the rain drenched the bodies of her friends.

She didn't let go, not for anyone. She wouldn't let them take her friends away. She tried, again and again, to pour her magic into Lucien, willing him to open his eyes. She fought off memories of laughing with Zylien as she tried bringing him back. She cried at the touch of Laen's cold skin. She hated herself for picking a fight with Merik and for wishing her death just moments before… She tore herself away from her friends and sat in the mud in the middle of them. She held Lucien's hand, draining herself of magic, just wanting him to come back. Only then would she leave. Only them would she shiver from the rain and only then would she celebrate along with Tamriel.

The surviving soldiers had left, all except the Seducers and Saints. They sat at the top of the hill and watched their leader fall apart. It had been hours since the Gate had been closed and still Amara wouldn't move. A Seducer came down to the ruins.  
"My Lord…" it started.  
"I am not your Lord" Amara said through gritted teeth. She looked up at the guard and gripped Lucien's hand tighter. She felt a hot tear run down her cheek when she didn't feel her Listener squeeze back. She only then realised she was sitting in ruins and that the battle had been won. " _Five heroes lead by one, the time of Deadlands has begun, Madness wins but at a cost, the battle's won all but one is lost. Shadow rises to the cause, Tamriel in Dagon's claws, the wolf howls at fire beneath, a hero battles a circle of grief._ " It all made sense now. She had lead the heroes, watched Sheogorath and his Madness defeat Jyggalag but the cost was his life, all but one is lost, Lucien rose to occasion, making Namira claim him, Laen saved Lucien from the fires of the Gate… and there she was, sitting with her fallen heroes, grieving when the rest of the worlds were celebrating. No more Daedra. No more Mehrunes Dagon. And at what cost? She had lost in so many ways and yet the world could not care less. But that's what being a hero was, right? Sacrificing it all, so everyone else is saved? Amara was done. No more bending to the will of Tamriel or its Princes. She let go of Lucien's hand and started to push herself off the ground. The Seducer helped her steady herself as she stood.  
"The Isles are yours, Lord Amara" it said as she started to walk away from her friends. She didn't look back.  
"Then we go to the Isles"


	11. Chapter 11

p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"Lucien gasped as air filled his lungs. He opened his eyes and found Cicero staring at / "Oh, praise Sanguine, our Listener lives!" Cicero cheered as Lucien pushed himself up. He looked down at his body. He was wearing the Shrouded armour that belonged to the Dark Brotherhood and he was lying on what looked like an altar – gods please don't let Cicero be sacrificing / "Cicero" he coughed. His throat was dry and yet his body was completely / "Cicero is at your service, oh great Listener" Cicero bowed, sweeping his arm in front of / "Where am I? How did I get here?" he asked looking around. It looked like every other room in the Dark Brotherhood. His eyes widened as a memory came flashing back. He remembered Amara asking for power then he was cold as if someone had frozen him in a block of ice and then everything went black. He would have to apologize to Zylien again for freezing him. Zylien… he remembered feeling Zylien go cold before he / "You're in Cheydinhal…" Cicero said frowning at him, like Lucien should have known where he / "Cicero, answer me carefully, where are my friends?" he asked, grabbing Cicero by the / "I'm so sorry" Cicero said. He sounded the most sane Lucien had ever heard. He even used 'I' and not said 'Cicero' like he normally / "Cicero, where's Amara? Did she…" he swallowed hard at the thought of Amara being buried somewhere as he / "Cicero knows Lord Amara has taken the Shivering Isles, great Listener" Cicero smiled. Lucien let him go and felt relief wash over / "Take over? What do you mean? And Lord? That doesn't make sense" he said getting off the stone / "She's the newest one. Cicero heard Sanguine talking about it. She was powerful enough to become a Daedric Prince and, well, with Sheogorath gone, the Isles needed a new Prince" Cicero beamed at Lucien. Lucien couldn't decide what to feel. He mourned his friends, and yet Amara was alive and a Prince no less. He / "Cicero, we're going to need horses. I hear it's nice in the Isles this time of year" Cicero cheered and skipped out of the room. Lucien smiled. He could already picture it, walking into the Great Hall and seeing her sitting on Sheogorath's throne, wearing purple and who knows, maybe he could help her find Wabbajack, if she hasn't already found it herself./span/p 


End file.
